Five police officers were killed on Monday after suspected al Shabaab militants attacked their vehicle using a rocket-propelled grenade.
Four officers were injured in the incident between Kutulo and Chuma Mrefu area in Mandera Central, IG spokesman George Kinoti said in a statement.
The officers were ambushed while escorting a Desert Cruiser bus to the county from Wajir.
Kinoti said police who survived the incident secured the bus which took the passengers to Elwak.
"The scene has been secured and police reinforcement immediately dispatched. Security agencies are currently in hot pursuit of the attackers," he said.
He asked members of the public to give police any information that could be helpful.
Northeastern regional coordinator Mahmoud Saleh told the Star the car the officers were travelling in was destroyed.
Governor Ali Roba condemned the attack saying locals shared information about a possible attack but were not taken seriously.
"It is sad that the information had long been shared by locals," he wrote on his Facebook page.
Read: Seven police officers killed in Lamu al Shabaab blast
Al Shabaab militants have carried out several attacks, two of which were on Makkah bus, which plies the Nairobi-Mandera route.
In December 2015, gunmen attacked a bus between Kotulo and Dabasiti in Mandera at 7am. The bus had stopped over at Kutulo following a ban on night travel in the region.
Read: Muslims shield Christians from al Shabaab terrorists in Mandera
In 2014, a bus was attacked near Mandera by terrorists who killed 28 non-Muslims travelling to Nairobi for the Christmas holidays.
Read: Teacher recalls how he survived Mandera al Shabaab attack
At least 45 al Shabaab militiamen were spotted crossing into the country on May 29.
A leaked intelligence report stated that the militants entered Kenya through the border village of Sugrow at around 2pm.
The Star learned that security organs, including the Kenya Defence Forces, were put on high alert.
Story updated
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