Madho Qarsa, Isiolo County| A heavy cloud of grief descended over Madho Qarsa village in Chari Ward on Monday as hundreds of residents gathered under a scorching sun to bury two local herdsmen brutally killed in a banditry attack the previous night.
The somber funeral ceremony, held amid heartfelt prayers and quiet sobs, was led by Chari Ward Member of County Assembly Meja Golicha, who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the bereaved families and community elders to pay final respects to the fallen.
The two victims – both young men tasked with guarding the community’s livestock – were ambushed and shot dead by armed raiders on Saturday night in the remote grazing fields of Madho Qarsa, a pastoralist settlement located along the volatile Isiolo–Samburu county border.
Speaking at the burial site, Merti Deputy County Commissioner Mr. Michael Kioni confirmed the deadly incident and revealed that preliminary investigations point to bandits who crossed into Isiolo’s porous border from a neighbouring county.
“The victims were on normal night duty protecting animals when they were suddenly attacked. The raiders made away with an unknown number of livestock,” Mr. Kioni told journalists, adding that a multi-agency security team has been dispatched to track the attackers and recover the stolen animals.
The latest bloodshed has reignited long-standing fears among Isiolo residents over escalating banditry, cattle rustling, and inter-community violence that have plagued northern Kenya for decades.
Madho Qarsa and surrounding villages in Merti and Garbatulla sub-counties have borne the brunt of repeated raids, often linked to competition over pasture and water during prolonged dry seasons.
Local leaders and residents who spoke during the burial accused authorities of slow response and inadequate security deployment despite numerous distress calls in recent months.
“This is not the first time our people are being killed like animals while protecting what little we have,” said a visibly distraught elder who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals. “We keep reporting movement of armed groups, but help only comes after lives are lost.”
Meja Golicha, the area MCA, vowed to table an urgent motion in the Isiolo County Assembly calling for the immediate deployment of additional National Police Reservists (NPR) and the establishment of permanent security camps in the most affected wards.
As the bodies were lowered into the grave, women ululated in traditional mourning while men fired volleys into the air – a poignant reminder of a community caught between preserving cultural heritage and grappling with modern-day armed criminality.
Security analysts warn that unless decisive measures are taken to seal cross-county border loopholes, disarm illegal firearms, and address underlying resource-based conflicts, such tragic incidents will continue claiming innocent lives across Kenya’s pastoralist regions.
For the people of Madho Qarsa, Sunday was not just another burial; it was another painful scar in a cycle of violence that shows little sign of ending.
As the crowd slowly dispersed under the fading evening light, one sentiment echoed clearly: enough is enough.
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