Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Sunday visited restive Turkana County in northwest region following clashes that have so far killed at least 22 people in the past two days.
Both the government and relief agencies on Sunday confirmed that 19 police officers and three civilians were killed in an ambush which took place on Friday night.
"President Kenyatta has just arrived in Loruk and will be heading to Kapedo. At least 22 police officers were ambushed and killed in the area," the ministry of interior said in a brief statement on Sunday.
Bandits on Friday night laid ambush and massacred the police officers in Kapedo, an area hit by the ongoing wave of insecurity at the border point between Baringo County and Turkana.
A government statement issued on Saturday evening said the police officers were involved in a security operation in Kapedo area when they were ambushed by an unknown number of armed raiders.
The government has since sent reinforcement in the area to help contain the clashes which have sparked tension in the region.
The Kenya Red Cross Society said it has transferred the three wounded police officers to Nakuru Provincial Hospital for specialized treatment.
Tension however remains high in the area amid fears of retaliatory attacks. Security officers have also mounted a security operation to flush out bandits who terrorized residents for long.
Both Pokot and Turkana communities have been feuding for many years over cattle rustling and search for pastures, including water points since both are pastoralists.
Livestock herding is the main livelihood and source of income in northern and some parts of eastern Kenya, and the hike in cattle thefts threatens to ignite cross-community reprisals and raids that could set the stage for a surge in ethnic fighting in the region.
Clashes between the rival cattle herding pastoralists in the region are common, with herders often carrying guns to protect their animals, but the recent fighting has been unusually heavy.