Kalonzo demands answers after seven killed in Tseikuru bandit attack

In a statement dated April 26, 2026, Kalonzo said a gang of about 40 heavily armed attackers stormed Kwa Kamari Trading Centre at around 2pm and opened fire on unarmed civilians.

He said six men and one woman were killed, with bodies bearing gunshot wounds and machete cuts, while one survivor was fighting for his life in hospital.

“This is not merely a tragedy. It is a governance failure of the gravest order,” Kalonzo said.

He described the incident as the deadliest banditry attack in the area in decades and accused the government of failing in its duty to protect citizens.

Kalonzo questioned how the assailants obtained automatic rifles and moved across county borders “carrying weapons of war”, saying the attack was organised and coordinated, and reportedly involved two unmarked vehicles.

He also addressed Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, saying he is constitutionally responsible for the security of Kenyans, and questioned why armed men were allowed to move freely through Kitui carrying AK-47 rifles.

Kalonzo further alleged that the attackers, believed to be members of a pastoralist community, had earlier encroached into the Mwingi North Game Reserve and that the tension had been reported.

He called for the immediate deployment of adequate security personnel to Tseikuru and the wider Mwingi North area, a full criminal investigation and the arrest and prosecution of all those involved.

He also urged the immediate disarmament of illegal firearms across Kitui County and the surrounding region.