KAPENGURIA, Kenya, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan police on Friday shot dead two suspects found smuggling and trading illegal firearms along the Kenya-Uganda border.
West Pokot county police commander Mathews Kutto said officers, acting on a tip-off, laid an ambush on the route the suspects were using before fire exchange between the criminals and the officers.
Kutto said during the incident at Kitalekapel, along Kapnguria-Kacheliba road, the officers recovered live ammunition from the suspects.
"The officers tried to stop them but the suspects defied and fired at the officer before the latter returned fire, killing the two. The officers recovered 1,850 live ammunition in bag," Kutto said.
The police chief said the suspects were key dealers in illicit firearms between Kenya and Uganda, adding that the illegal firearms were used in violence between Turkana and Pokot communities.
"We believed the smuggled firearms were sold to fan skirmishes between the two warring communities," said Kutto.
Conflicts between the two communities have left at least eight people dead in the past three months.
Transportation of crude oil from Turkana county, in northwest Kenya, to Mombasa, in coastal region, has been disrupted due to bandit attacks on the highway.
