STEPHEN MUIRURI

At least 40 people were feared dead yesterday following three days of ethnic fighting near Isiolo, Kenya, although police officially put the toll at only seven.

The dead included three policemen: an inspector who was deputy head of the town's police, a constable and a reservist.

The inspector was shot in the chest and his two men were shot in the head as they tried to recover cattle stolen during the clashes.

Two army officers were also said to be seriously hurt and there were further injuries among the army when two trucks collided on the way to the battlefield.

Police said four Somalis were killed in renewed fighting on Sunday.

Then, 400 armed Borana and Samburu tribesmen attacked a Somali manyatta, killing the four and stealing 2,000 cattle and 500 goats. They also shot dead five camels.

"Security officers who raced to the scene were overpowered by the raiders and after they fled from the battlefield, they realised three of their colleagues were missing," said a police spokesman at Nairobi police headquarters.

Their bodies were found yesterday when a combined team of regular police, the army and administration policemen went in pursuit of the raiders.

The officer said the security team and the raiders came into contact three times and the two Army officers were shot at 12.30 pm yesterday.

"As far as we are concerned, only seven people were killed because those are the only bodies counted by our officers on the ground by 1 pm yesterday," the spokesman said.

However, a witness who fled the fighting said he personally counted 40 bodies and believed the toll could be as high as 100 dead with many more injured.

The latest outbreak of tribal clashes between the minority Somali community and the combined force of Borana and Samburu tribesmen began at dawn on Saturday at the villages of Kapcha and Eremet, seven kilometers from Isiolo Town. Turkana tribesmen then joined the battle, siding with the Somalis.

More than 200 teenagers engaged as tribal militia were said to be involved in the fighting.

Lorryloads of soldiers backed by the GSU and regular police from other districts -- including reinforcements from Meru -- were rushed to the scene of the fighting, and three helicopters were seen flying to the area.

The fighting spread to Isiolo Town itself when some Borana women passing through Farfi estate were confronted and beaten by a group of Somali women.

The battle was still raging as we went to Press last night.