Six people died on the spot and two others sustained serious injuries after their vehicle ran over a roadside Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
The incident which happened on Monday at Elwak in Mandera County has left residents wondering whether the much dreaded Alshabaab insurgents have re-emerged again.
Confirming the incident, Mandera South Sub-County Commissioner Mr Paul Kemei revealed that the eight people were en route their workstations located at the Kenya-Somalia borders when the disaster struck.
"The victims were clearing a road as usual along the security wall when they were hit by what is suspected to be an improvised explosives device,” said Kenei.
He further added that the device which exploded at around 10 am on Monday might have been planted at the scene earlier in the morning by Al-Shabaab militants.
Kenei assured that more security patrols would be intensified noting that security agencies are already combing the area.