Ex-British Army officer shot, killed in Kenya farm invasion

A former British Army officer-turned-rancher was shot and killed by tribal herders in central Kenya, authorities said Sunday.

Simon Kipkeu, the police officer in charge of Laikipia County, told the Associated Press that Tristan Voorspuy was inspecting some of his lodges, which had been torched by the attackers, when he was shot 118 miles north of Nairobi.

Kipkeu said Voorspuy's body was recovered next to his horse and witnesses are being interviewed.

Sky News reported that Voorspuy was a co-owner of the ranch and ran horseback safaris for decades with his wife Cindy.

In a message to Sky News Friday, Cindy Voorspuy said: "Archie, my son, is still in the thick of it trying to keep the peace and protecting his herders' cattle, game and staff ... there will be more troubles to come ... Just worry for Kenya."

Once a tourist paradise and one of the two most important conservation areas in Kenya, the Laikipia region has been a tribal battleground for months.

Several Kenyans have been killed and driven off the land by invaders from the Samburu, Pokot and Masai tribes who are heavily armed and use ammunition made in government factories.

The herders have driven tens of thousands of cattle onto Kenyan and foreign-owned ranches, some of which double as wildlife conservation areas. Gunmen are reported to have massacred elephant, lion, buffalo and all manner of other wildlife.

The militia is suspected of close contacts with members of parliament and government figures. The country's president Uhuru Kenyatta has been criticised for failing to intervene ahead of elections in August

Kenya has declared its drought a national disaster and the U.N. humanitarian chief has appealed for assistance for the herders.

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