Some 42 policemen died in an ambush by cattle rustlers in the north over the weekend.

Kenya’s top security body on Tuesday November 13 authorised the military to join the hunt for cattle rustlers who killed 42 security officers in an ambush in Baragoi, in the northern Samburu District.

A statement from the Presidential Press Service said the National Security Council, chaired by President Mwai Kibaki, ordered the Kenyan Defence Forces to be deployed in Samburu County and other areas to provide support to Kenyan Police Service in apprehending the bandits and recovering stolen animals and arms, the Daily Nation newspaper said. The meeting, attended by Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, directed all national security agencies to liaise closely in restoring peace and security in the area.

The Council also ordered a mop-up of illegal arms in pastoral areas and condoled with the families of the slain officers. The statement said 24 police officers and eight Kenyan Police Reservists were killed in the ambush, while eight police officers and three Kenyan Police Reservists were admitted to Kenyatta Hospital in the capital, Nairobi. However, independent sources put the figure of those killed at 39. This came hours before two more bodies were found on Tuesday and three officers who have been missing resurfaced.

Internal Security assistant minister, Alfred Khang’ati, promised that the government will work with neighbouring countries to disarm herders and border communities in a bid to restore peace. The Baragoi problem began on October 20 when Turkana warriors raided their Samburu neighbours and stole more than 500 cattle and goats. The Samburu struck in a revenge attack and drove away 297 camels. The government responded by sending a contingent of 102 officers comprising General Service Unit, regular and Administration Police officers, who were ambushed, resulting in the November 10 massacre.

Cattle theft and the ensuing clashes between rival pastoralist groups claim dozens of lives every year in arid northern Kenya. However, it is rare for police officers to be attacked by rustlers. The violence is not believed to be linked to politics, but it raises concerns over security and a lack of police capacity in volatile areas ahead of elections due to take place in March 2013.