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Rising al Shabaab Attacks Along Somali Border Raise Alarm Over Kenya’s Security Preparedness and Intelligence Gaps
Recent attacks that left five elite Special Operations Group (SOG) officers dead and eight others injured have renewed fears of increased terror activity in Kenya. The deadly ambush happened just a day after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and top police officials visited officers in the area on Labour Day to encourage them.
The officers had been sent on an operation in the dangerous Boni Forest in Lamu County on April 27, 2025. According to a police report, they were ambushed by suspected al Shabaab militants two days later, on April 29 around 4pm. The injured officers were flown from Manda Bay to Nairobi West Hospital for treatment.
These attacks come as security concerns rise, especially along the Somali border, where terror incidents have increased in the past eight months. Many are questioning whether the country’s intelligence and security forces are well-prepared to fight these threats.
The police believe the militants also suffered injuries during the Boni Forest clash, and a search operation is ongoing.
Murkomen later confirmed that he had spent Labour Day visiting injured police officers at Nairobi West Hospital, including some injured in other parts of the country. However, he didn’t specifically mention the Lamu attack.
Lack of Equipment and Low Morale
An officer familiar with the Lamu operation revealed that the SOG team is poorly equipped to deal with militants, who now have better weapons. Some of the drones used for surveillance, which were donated by the U.S., are no longer working, and the government doesn’t have the resources to fix them. This has affected the morale and performance of the officers.
On the same day as the Lamu ambush, another attack took place in Mandera County, where al Shabaab militants killed five quarry workers and injured two others. They were traveling in a vehicle that was ambushed in Bur Abor Village. Fortunately, 16 other workers in the bus managed to escape unharmed.
Other Recent Incidents
The Mandera attack followed a series of other worrying incidents. Just a week before, a technician for a local telecom company was kidnapped in El Wak town while on a work assignment. He was with two others delivering fuel to a telecom mast. The others were rescued, and their vehicle recovered by the Wargadud SOG unit.
Also, on April 29, militants stopped several vehicles on their way to El Wak, checked if passengers were locals, and let them go after giving them a stern warning. Two buses headed to Nairobi were also stopped, and passengers were interrogated before being released. Later, the bus driver and his conductor were arrested for not requesting police escort as required.
On March 14, Somalia’s intelligence service (NISA) attacked a police reservist camp in Kenya in an attempt to rescue a detained relative. The attack killed one officer and seriously injured another. One of the attackers admitted in court that he and his brother had planned to rescue him after his arrest for plotting to kidnap Chinese nationals.
A few days later, on March 15, around 150 militants entered Mangai village in Boni Forest during Ramadan, gave locals a lecture, and handed out dates to break their fast. Some militants guarded the local border patrol unit while others interacted with the villagers.
There have also been multiple kidnappings. On March 19, a man was abducted in Garissa County while traveling with a friend. Three more people were kidnapped in Mandera the same day after their motorbike broke down. Police believe they were taken across the border into Somalia.
Earlier, on March 23, six police officers were killed and four others injured in Garissa when their camp was attacked by suspected al Shabaab militants. And in February, five local chiefs preparing for a visit by President William Ruto were kidnapped and taken to Somalia. They were held for 62 days and freed on April 6.
These incidents highlight the growing insecurity in areas near the Somali border and raise questions about Kenya’s ability to respond effectively.