Nairobi, May 2 -- Tension is mounting in Kitui County following the killing of one more person, increasing the death toll to eight in the recent bandit attack in its northern region.

The locals have been blocking roads, demanding government action against the culprits in what is believed to have been revenge for the recent killing of camel herdsmen.

Seven people, six men and one woman, were killed on April 25 by gunmen suspected to be camel herders. The latest victim, a schoolboy, was hacked to death three days later. Bandits have killed 15 people in the area since March.

Angry locals have staged protests, blocking the Mwingi-Garissa road, which is a major economic artery linking the north-eastern region to the rest of the country. Som...