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Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka at Bamburi, Mombasa County on April 26, 2026. [Nehemiah Okwembah, Standard]

Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has criticised the government following a deadly bandit attack in Tseikuru, Mwingi North, Kitui County, terming the incident a grave failure of leadership and security.

The attack, which occurred in broad daylight at Kwa Kamari Trading Centre, left six men and one woman dead after a group of about 40 heavily armed assailants opened fire on unarmed residents.

Several others were injured, with one survivor reported to be in critical condition.

Kalonzo described the killings as a national tragedy and one of the worst banditry incidents in the region in decades, placing blame squarely on President William Ruto’s administration.

“Enough blood has been spilled and the regime must answer,” Kalonzo said in a statement issued from Bamburi, Mombasa County.

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

The opposition leader questioned how heavily armed attackers, reportedly carrying automatic rifles, were able to move freely across county borders without interception, raising concerns about a breakdown in intelligence and coordination among security agencies.

“To President Ruto: how do pastoralists come to possess automatic rifles capable of massacring seven Kenyans within minutes? Who armed them? Who allowed them to move freely across county borders carrying weapons of war?” he posed.

Kalonzo said the attack appeared organised and premeditated, noting that the assailants allegedly arrived in two unmarked vehicles and executed the assault with precision.

“This was not a spontaneous act. It was organised, coordinated, and executed with military precision against a civilian population. Where was your intelligence? Where was your security apparatus?” he asked.

He also directed sharp criticism at Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, questioning the ministry’s response to rising insecurity in the region.

“You are constitutionally charged with the security of every Kenyan… So I ask you directly, CS Murkomen: why were armed men allowed to move freely through Kitui County carrying AK-47 rifles, while the people of Tseikuru had nothing but their bare hands?” Kalonzo said.

According to the opposition leader, there had been prior warnings about escalating tensions, including reported encroachment into the Mwingi North Game Reserve by armed groups, which he claimed authorities failed to act upon.

He noted that the latest attack reflects a long-standing pattern of insecurity in parts of Ukambani, including Tseikuru, Kyuso, Malalani, and Twambui, where communities have faced repeated raids, displacement, and disruption of livelihoods.

“This regime has consistently failed to respond with any decisive, lasting action,” he said.

Kalonzo further argued that responsibility for the killings extended beyond the attackers to what he termed as state negligence.

“The blood of these seven Kenyans is not only on the hands of their killers. It is also in the hands of a government that has turned away from the suffering of the people of Ukambani,” he stated.

He called on the Inspector General of Police to immediately deploy adequate security personnel to the affected areas and demanded a full criminal investigation into the attack, including the arrest and prosecution of those responsible.

“I demand the immediate disarmament of all illegal firearms across Kitui County and the surrounding region, without fear or favour,” he said.

Offering condolences to the bereaved families, Kalonzo vowed that the victims’ deaths would not be ignored.

“To the families… I grieve with you and stand with you. I give you my word that their deaths will not be buried under the weight of political convenience,” he said.

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