Police officers in Samburu Central managed to recover stolen livestock after Pokot rustlers attacked a herder.
According to Kenya Police Service, the officers responded to the victim's distress calls after he was overpowered by the armed assailants.
By the time the police got wind of the attack, the rustlers had left with cattle and goats.
They launched a trailing for them and caught up. The rustlers were determined to fight the officers back.
They opened fire at them, prompting a retaliation from the uniformed law enforcers.
The police managed to counter the rustlers, who after being overpowered, escaped and left back the livestock.
The officers drove back seven cows and 14 goats.
"Police officers in Loosuk, Samburu Central Sub-County, pursued armed Pokot rustlers and recovered seven cows and 14 goats after an attack on a herder. The suspects were overpowered following a fierce gun battle," the Kenya Police Service reported.
Cattle rustling has long been a major driver of insecurity in the country, often leaving civilians dead or injured as raiders attempt to steal livestock.
In response to the escalating threat, security officers and strategists have been devising mechanisms to deal with the matter..
For instance, a while back, a senior police officer in Kisumu County previously directed his team to shoot and kill rustlers.
Nyakach Deputy County Commissioner Job Adunda backed the order, noting that suspects had demonstrated clear intent to harm residents and seize their animals.
He instructed officers to use lethal force against anyone armed and endangering public safety, stressing that repeated warnings had gone unheeded.
