Witnesses told Africa News that the raiders were armed and well organized. They are believed to be from the Pokot community, a subtribe of the larger Kalenjin tribe. Some are said to have engaged police officers from the nearby Naibor Police camp in a fierce gun battle, as the larger group attacked the village in an attempt to steal heads of cattle.

Over 10,000 heads of cattle were stolen.

Area District Commissioner Amos Mariba told reporters that the raiders had attacked the members of the Samburu community with the sole aim of stealing cattle, a vice referred to as cattle rustling within the Kenyan pastoralist community. Samburus are a cousin tribe of the Maasai community.

When Africa News reporter visited the area, bodies lay strewn all over the scene of the incident, some lying in caked blood. Others had fresh blood oozing from the bullet wounds. Animal carcasses too were at the scene, a reminder of the fact that animals too were never spared the deadly visitation. Men, women and children some with bullets lodged in their bodies sat pensively in the mayattas (Maasai word for houses) awaiting help.

The attack prompted a visit of the area by senior security officers from Nairobi, led by an assistant minister of Internal Security Orwa Ojode. Mr Ojode vowed to have those behind the attack apprehended and made to face the law. Nine suspected raider were later shot dead by the police.

Meanwhile, some of the villagers who talked to Africa News blamed the attack on the lethargic performance of the security officers within the area. Most of them added that the raid had been planned one week ago, a fact they claimed the officers including the District Commissioner were aware of.

Armed raids aimed at stealing cattle are not an unfamiliar tale within the Northern parts of the Rift Valley Province. Most Pastoralist communities in Kenya including the Pokots, Turkana, Samburu-all in the Rift Valley, together with the Rendile, Borana, Gabra, Somali, Burji among others participate in attacks and counter attacks aimed at stealing cattle from each other.

Some communities from the neighbouring countries -Uganda and Ethiopia- too stage cross boarder attacks. The worst case happened 2000, when over 70 people were killed when armed raiders believed to be from Ethiopia attacked a village called Turbi in Kenya's Marsabit District.

But the government responses to these attacks have yielded no fruits, as politicians are said to be behind the attacks. Human rights organisations have also been blamed for continuously blaming the police for human rights violations whenever they stage operations to disarm the communities.