The national government has been asked to end the eight-month closure of quarries in Mandera county.
The call came from local leaders who lamented that the closure had not only ruined the economy of the area but also contributed to insecurity in Mandera town.
The quarries were shut after a series of Al Shabaab attacks early this year targeting mine workers. Tens of the workers were killed.
The leaders were speaking separately during this year’s Jamhuri Day celebrations on Wednesday.
Governor Ali Roba said the impact of the ban has had far-reaching consequences on the county.
He said that since the closure, burglaries and robberies with violence had increased in the town.
The latest incident happened last week when a security guard was killed during a robbery at Takbir petrol station.
The robbers, who were armed with assorted weapons also stole Sh700,000.
“We have never witnessed robberies in Mandera before, but now our people are being robbed at gunpoint. M-Pesa operators are being robbed every day. We highly suspect that this has everything to do with the closure of the mines,” the governor said.
“We cannot continue suffering from marginalisation 55 years after independence. We have been marginalised by successive governments and now the government through Interior CS Fred Matiang’i is extending the same,“ Roba said.
Separately, MCAs led by Mohamed Ibrahim (Guticha), Aden Abdullahi (Mandera Township), Abdi Aden (Neboi) and Jamale Hassan (Guba), said that it was unfortunate to see the government remain silent on the matter “as if nothing has happened”.
“The government should not make decisions without looking at the repercussions it has on the local population. Our economy has crumbled, lives have been turned upside down. Surely something must be done urgently,” Ibrahim said.
Abdullahi said the closure was illegal as it was done through a verbal order by Matiang’i.