Armed rustlers staged a daring raid at a sales yard within Isiolo municipality to steal livestock meant for the next day market.

While shooting aimlessly, the bandits stormed the donor-funded facility that also has a police post, rounded up cattle and even managed to trek away with them.

However, the incident at Maisha Bora estate at around 8:50 pm on Sunday September 21, 2025 frightened the neighborhoods extending to Odha, Bule and Kambi Garba estates, on the outskirts of Isiolo town.

Sounds of rifle shots rented the air for nearly 15 minutes. The area is about 3km from the County headquarters and less than a kilometre from the Isiolo-Moyale Highway.

However, in a rare but swift move, the police from the post and National police reservists, who later got reinforcement from colleagues at Central police station engaged the bandits in a fierce shout-out. The security personnel managed to recover the stolen animals, with the attackers fleeing the area.

According to the initial incident report on Sunday night, one of the rustlers died in the shoot-out while unknown number of cows were injured in the cross-fire.

“It is reported by Chief Odha Location that there has been attempted livestock theft at Odha livestock market at 20:50hrs.  All livestock were recovered by the police officers from Odha police post who are within the market compound,” read part of the police report.

It added, “It is further reported that in the exchange of fire during the incident, one of the bandits was fatally shot, and several cows sustained bullet wounds. The cows stolen and later recovered, were meant for Monday’s September 22, 2025 livestock market day”.

At least ten similar attacks targeting animals meant for either slaughter at the local abattoir or livestock market had occurred in the same area.

In one of the incidents last April, a young football fan was shot dead metres from Isiolo police barrier, along the Isiolo-Moyale Highway by bandits who had stolen animals on a market day eve in the same area.

In a related development, angry residents of Kiirua sub location in Buuri Constituency in Meru County blocked a section of the Meru-Isiolo road in a protest against frequent cattle rustling incidents.

On Sunday night, at around 11:30 pm a man was shot dead and an unknown number of cattle stolen from a settlement area in Kiirua’s Maili Tatu area by alleged rustlers.

The area is about 5km from the centre of Isiolo town.

Peter Kinoti, a member of Nyumba Kumi from the affected area, appealed to police to pursue the rustlers and recover all the stolen animals.

“The bandits who come from Isiolo are used to stealing our livestock which are hardly returned. Our elected leaders must push the police to go after the thieves and return our property,” said Mr Kinoti.