Two more police officers were on Thursday evening shot and killed in an ambush by gunmen in the Kapedo area, Baringo County.
Head of Rapid Deployment Unit who is also the chief inspector in Kapedo and his driver were in a lorry in a convoy of three vehicles when they came under attack at a bridge marking as a boundary between Turkana and Baringo Counties.
The officers were on the way from Nakuru with food for other colleagues in a camp in the area when they came under attack at about 4 pm.
Also in the convoy was a Landcruiser and a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle when the attack happened.
The attackers sprayed bullets from both sides targeting both the driver and the chief inspector.
They both jumped out and engaged the gunmen with wounds but lost the fight inside a nearby bush.
The other officers who were in the MRAP engaged the gang in a shootout before they retreated into caves.
Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya termed the incident as unfortunate given the senior officer had just returned from burying his mother.
“We will soldier on but it is unfortunate because one of the officers had just returned from the funeral of his mother,” he said.
This increased the number of deaths to three since Sunday and six, those injured.
About ten civilians have been killed there in the past month alone.
It is the same place that a senior General Service Unit officer was shot and killed in another ambush.
Police had earlier on conducted an operation in the area pushing away cattle that the gunmen are using as shields to attack them.
This came as another cattle rustling attack was reported in the area with more than 30 cows being stolen by gunmen from the same area.
It came as Tiaty Member of Parliament William Kamket was arrested, questioned and released on a police bond over the ongoing clashes in the area.
More reinforcements arrived in the region for ongoing operations to address the menace.
Six bodies of locals were found with gunshot wounds on Wednesday and it is linked to the ongoing skirmishes.