Details of casualties resulting from Alshabaab’s attack on an army base housing American and Kenyan soldiers in Lamu County are still emerging, with the latest revelation indicating that a Kenyan was among those who lost their lives.
The Kenyan government had initially denied any deaths from the tragic incident, but the US government revealed shortly afterwards that three of its citizens were killed by the militants.
This inconsistency of information has raised fears that many lives might have been lost during the attack, even as one family in Lamu County mourns their fallen kin, who died during the daring terror mission.
According to his family, the deceased, Mwalimu Ponda, encountered the militants while they were on their way to launch the early Sunday morning attack on the army base near Manda Bay Airfield.
He was working as a gardener at a farm in Hindi, near the military camp, one Robert Chengo revealed in a tribute post on Facebook.
Police reports indicate that Ponda died after being shot five times by the terrorists.
Rip Mwalimu Ponda
Posted by Robert Chengo on Monday, 6 January 2020
He hailed from Bomani area.
According to the US government, the three of its citizens killed included a soldier and two contractors.
Two more defence personnel were wounded in the attack.
The Kenyan government has not acknowledged any Kenyan death from the ambush so far.