Six people lost their lives in Gotu, Isiolo County, on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, including a man named Muhiyadin Abdikadir, three community elders and two police officers, all of whom were reportedly ambushed by Samburu raiders while on their way to collect the body of a fellow kinsman.
Hasheem identifies family member allegedly killed by bandits
The group had set out the morning of the attack to recover the remains of a man killed the previous day at Madho Gurba Huka in Chari Ward.
Rather than completing that sombre mission, they were themselves waylaid and killed before they could reach their destination.
The incident was shared publicly by Simba Hasheem, who identified Muhiyadin Abdikadir as his cousin.
Hasheem describes sequence of events
In a Facebook post that has since drawn widespread attention, Hasheem described the sequence of events and called on the government to act decisively.
Hasheem did not mince his words in his account of the tragedy.
“Think about that,” he wrote. “A man is killed. His relatives, elders and police officers go to recover his body. They too are attacked and killed,” he shared.
This is no longer cattle rustling, Hasheem says
He argued that what is happening in Isiolo has moved far beyond the scope of ordinary cattle rustling.
“This is no longer ordinary cattle rustling. It is a grave and persistent security crisis. Isiolo has bled for far too long,” he wrote.
The presence of armed police officers among those killed underscored the gravity of the situation.
Hasheem directs clear demand at the government
Hasheem posed a pointed question: if a group escorted by law enforcement could still be killed, what hope remains for an unarmed herder going about his daily life?
In his post, Hasheem directed a clear demand at the government, urging authorities to secure Gotu, Chari and the broader Isiolo grazing belt, pursue those responsible for the killings, recover illegal firearms and stolen livestock, and bring the perpetrators to justice.
He also pushed back against any notion that distance from the capital diminishes the value of lives lost.
Hasheem makes prayer for those who died
“The people of Isiolo are Kenyan citizens. Their lives are not worth less because they live hundreds of kilometres from Nairobi,” he wrote.
“Nobody should be murdered while going to recover the body of another murdered man.”
Hasheem closed his post with a prayer for those who died, asking for mercy on Muhiyadin Abdikadir, the other fallen kinsmen and the two police officers, and calling for patience and comfort for the bereaved families.
