Stray bullets and attacks linked to fighting in Ethiopia have driven about 10,000 Kenyans from their homes along the border in Moyale, the Daily Nation reported on Friday. Gunfire and explosives from across the border have hit the Marsabit County town.
On Monday, Kenya Defence Forces soldiers safely blew up three rocket-propelled grenades in the Sessi area of Moyale, Hiiraan Online reported. Officials said two of the RPGs were fired from Ethiopia at around 2am. They landed a few metres inside Kenya, near a slaughter site. No one was hurt and no property was damaged. It was the second such operation in two weeks. Three RPGs found on November 1 were also destroyed.
Civilians have already been hit. Amina Guchi, 65, was killed on November 2 when a suspected stray bullet struck her head at the Moyale County offices, next to the law courts. She was dead on arrival at Moyale Sub-County Referral Hospital. Two days later, two suspected stray bullets hit a 20-year-old woman in the back at her home in the Biashara area. Doctors at Taqwa Nursing Home Hospital removed both bullets, and she was admitted in serious condition.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja visited Moyale on November 5 and ordered more officers into the area. He told officers to stay on high alert and step up surveillance. He also toured a camp for displaced families. "We are here to ensure all the visitors and locals are safe," Kanja said. DCI Director Mohammed Amin and GSU Commandant Johanna Tonui travelled with him.
The government says about 40,000 Ethiopians have crossed into Kenya and are being hosted in Moyale. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said he had asked his Ethiopian counterpart to calm the situation so the refugees can go home. He said Ethiopia had promised to work to restore normalcy. Officials told Hiiraan that rival groups are firing explosives at people who have sought refuge on the Kenyan side.
The clashes broke out in October 2026. They grew out of long-running disputes between the Oromia and Somali regional administrations over boundaries and administrative control. Hiiraan reported that the conflict has displaced more than 50,000 people in neighbouring Moyale, across the border. Many families are sheltering in schools, churches and temporary camps. Others are staying with relatives.