The death toll in the Kitale-Lodwar gunmen attack on police rose to four after another police officer succumbed to injuries in hospital on Saturday.
Three officers from the General Service Unit had died on Friday in an ambush, Turkana police boss Samuel Ndanyi confirmed.
He said a civilian was also shot and injured in the clash.
The bodies lay there overnight until Saturday when their colleagues tried to retrieve them but came under more gun attacks.
The officers managed to remove them, police said.
The gang stripped the deceased officers and escaped with their uniforms and weapons.
The officers were on patrols on the highway when they were ambushed Friday evening near KWS Camp in Kakong, police said.
Seven officers were admitted to the hospital with multiple injuries.
The gang escaped soon after the ambush.
The incident happened at about 4 pm and spread late into the evening hours, police said adding operations on the road were paralyzed.
The bandits shot indiscriminately at the officers leaving the officers with serious multiple injuries.
Three died at the scene.
The gang burnt down one police vehicle, police said.
The injured officers were evacuated from the incident scene by two armoured personnel carriers (APC) and taken to Kainuk health centre and were later referred to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital Eldoret for further medication.
Three land cruisers with deflated tyres among other damages inflicted on them by the bandits were left at the incident scene, police said.
Three people had earlier been killed in the same area and one was critically injured by gunmen who attacked a matatu at Kakong area of Turkana South.
The bandits ambushed a Lodwar-bound Public Service Vehicle, spraying it with bullets as the driver sped off to avoid the flying bullets.
Another group had earlier attacked Kakong village killing two people and making away with more than 150 goats.
The highway attack is the fourth one this month alone, the Matatu operators said as they demanded enhanced security on the route.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has vowed to deal ruthlessly with bandits in hot spot areas.
He said the government will use its manpower to guarantee the safety of residents.
The CS declared banditry a threat to national security and vowed to flush them out of their hideouts.
