Man shot dead on way to mosque near Kenya-Somalia border in Mandera

A middle-aged man named Mohamud Mohamed Ali, also known as Maalin Guliye, was shot dead while en route to a mosque for morning prayers in Damasa Shopping Centre, located in Lafey Sub-County, Mandera County. The tragic incident unfolded around 5:10 am on Saturday, August 29, 2026. The attackers, who remain unidentified, ambushed Ali as he approached the mosque on the Kenya-Somalia border.

Following the shooting, the assailants hastily fled towards Damasa, Somalia. The exact motive behind the killing has not been determined at the time of reporting. Police have commenced an investigation into the event, with the aim of identifying the perpetrators and unraveling the circumstances and reasons behind the fatal attack.

The region, plagued by border tensions, has witnessed an increase in security operations by the Kenyan government to counter threats from the al Shabaab gang, resulting in relative stability. Nevertheless, the persistent infiltration of terrorists through the porous border has led to ongoing attacks in Kenya. The Kenya Defence Forces have been deployed into Somalia via Operation Linda Nchi since October 14, 2011, as part of a concerted regional effort to combat the threat posed by al-Shabaab.