Police officers at the Chiromo mortuary in Nairobi yesterday carry some of the remains of 42 officers killed by bandits in Baragoi Samburu

President Kibaki last night ordered the military to be deployed in Samburu to go after the people who ambushed and killed at over 30 policemen in Baragoi. The order follows a meeting of the National Security Council which he chaired last evening.

Human rights groups under the umbrella of the Police Reforms Working Group (PRWG) yesterday demanded an investigation into the killing of the police officers by suspected cattle rustlers.

In a press statement the Kenya Human Rights Commission senior programmes officer, George Morara, said the group has called on the National Police Service Commission and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to carry out "investigation on how a large number of police officers sent to the 'battlefront' can be killed, yet they are supposed to be well prepared and equipped to deal with the various security challenges that Kenya as a country is grappling with"

The group had also called for accountability from intelligence agencies and had demanded for an explanation over the disconnect between intelligence services, the police and other security agents.

The number of police officers killed in the Saturday attack at Baragoi, Samburu rose to 32 following the discovery of seven more bodies at the scene Monday.