Gunfire exchange as Police recover 445 stolen animals in Turkana

A multi-agency security team has recovered 445 sheep and goats stolen from Kaloriwo Village in Turkana County following a pursuit that involved an exchange of gunfire with suspected bandits.

The National Police Service (NPS) said the operation led to the recovery of the livestock in two phases after the suspects abandoned some of the animals while fleeing from officers.

In a statement on Sunday, the police service said the security team responded swiftly to the theft and pursued the suspected perpetrators, who were forced to abandon part of the stolen livestock during the operation.

The team initially recovered 365 sheep and goats after engaging the suspects in an exchange of gunfire.

“The team pursued the perpetrators, engaging them in an exchange of gunfire before overpowering them and recovering 365 sheep and goats. The suspects fled with other livestock, prompting officers to maintain the pursuit as efforts to recover the remaining animals continued,” NPS said.

The police explained that the operation continued even after the first group of animals had been recovered, with officers dividing their efforts between securing the livestock and pursuing the suspects.

One team escorted the recovered animals to safer grounds, while a backup team continued tracking the fleeing suspects and searching for the remaining livestock.

The second phase of the operation resulted in the recovery of another 80 sheep and goats, bringing the total number of animals recovered to 445.NPS said it was handling the recovered livestock in stages to ensure the animals were returned to their rightful owners and that ownership of the additional animals was established.

“The initial batch of livestock has since been handed over to the rightful owners, while the additional 80 animals await identification by their owners and subsequent handover,” the police statement read.

The service did not provide details about the identities or number of suspects involved in the incident. It also did not specify whether any suspects had been arrested or whether officers had sustained injuries during the exchange of gunfire.

The police maintained that the security operation remained active, with officers continuing to pursue those responsible for the theft and attempting to recover any outstanding animals.

“The team remains on the ground pursuing the remaining stolen livestock and tracking down those responsible as the operation continues,” the NPS said.

Multi-agency security operations coordinate personnel from different security and enforcement agencies to respond to incidents, pursue suspects, and recover stolen property.

The NPS urged continued vigilance, saying the team would remain in the area until efforts to recover the outstanding livestock and pursue those responsible progressed.