Thirty six people have been confirmed dead after suspected Al Shabaab militia attacked them in a quarry in Korome, 15 km from Mandera town.
The gunmen executed them while they were sleeping in tents at about 12:30 am Tuesday.
So far only one survivor has been found after the gunmen attacked them in 15 tents where they had retired after extracting building stones. The victims are said to be from Nakuru, Nyeri and some from Kamba land.
“It is sad that we have another 36 people who were attacked and killed late last night in the same manner it happened on a bus recently. It happened at a quarry about 15 km (10 miles) from Mandera town,” Mandera county governor Ali Roba told Reuters by telephone.
A Reuters witness at the scene counted 36 bodies at the Korome quarry. All the victims had been shot in the head, except for four who had been beheaded.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that at least 20 gunmen were involved in the attack.
The morning attacks comes hours after explosions struck the town of Wajir on Monday evening killing one person in a gun attack that coincided with the blasts, emergency workers and police said.
A police officer said the assault was probably carried out by Somali Islamist militants. The incident occurred in an area in Wajir called Ngamia, where there are police posts and a social club used by government workers.
The Interior Ministry said on Twitter that three armed men launched the attack. The Kenya Red Cross said about a dozen people were taken to hospital after the blasts and gunfire.
“A patient shot in the attack died,” said health worker Abdi Kullow at the hospital. A police officer also confirmed one person had died of gunshot wounds.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
The Somali Islamist group al Shabaab has said in the past that it would attack Kenya in retaliation for Nairobi’s decision to send Kenyan troops to Somalia with an African Union peacekeeping force. The African forces have been battling al Shabaab militants and driving them out of strongholds there.
Last month, al Shabaab said its recruits had hijacked a bus in north Kenya and shot dead 28 non-Muslim passengers — the latest in a line of attacks claimed by the group.
The al Shabaab violence has stoked criticism of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his government, with opponents saying they have not done enough to protect the public.
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