Officials are negotiating to solve an incident in which a four-wheel drive car belonging to a Mandera resident was Thursday, December 8 hijacked and robbed off by al-Shabaab militants.
The vehicle was rented by a local agency -Action Against Hunger- operating in Takaba for a medical campaign and was attacked between the Elram and Falama areas south of Mandera.
This area is close to the Kenya-Somalia border.
It was hijacked with one occupant on board while transporting the measles vaccine to Falama health center in Mandera South, police and locals said.
Other officials said the vehicle left Kotulo and was to transport measles vaccine and food supplements called plumpy nuts or Malado to Gesrebki Teno village of Falama Sublocation, Garsesala Location across all the facilities in the area ahead of a planned vaccination exercise that shall kick off Friday, December 9.
The driver who was on board the car is missing, police said.
The four gunmen struck and drove with the car and driver on board to Somalia direction.
Early last month, an ambulance belonging to Mandera County government was carjacked along Lafey-Elwak road and the efforts to rescue it bore no fruits.
The four occupants of the ambulance were later released after spending two days in Somalia.
The area has been facing attacks and threats from the militants who are roaming there.
