Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif during a meeting with security agencies and non-local representatives on April 29, 2025.
Contradictory information is emerging following an attack by suspected al-Shabaab militants that left five quarry workers dead and two others injured.
The incident happened early Tuesday morning along the Mandera-Khalalio road at Bura-Abor village in Mandera East.
Despite government officials maintaining that the ill-fated vehicle broke the set security rules in transporting quarry workers, it has been revealed that no security escort was provided.
“We have been going to quarries without a security escort for quite some time. For the past one and a half months, we have operated without security officers guarding the quarries,” said quarry worker John Kilonzo.
According to Mr Kilonzo, at least eight vehicles with a capacity of 16 passengers each carry miners to and from the Bura-Abor quarries every morning and evening.
“All the eight vehicles left together on Tuesday morning. The vehicle that was attacked was new on the road. It was moving so fast that it left the rest of us behind,” he said.
All along the road, Mr Kilonzo said, the van ahead found the main road blocked with stones, forcing it to stop.
“Our colleagues in that vehicle realized they were in danger after they noticed armed men hiding in the bushes. They started to jump out of the vehicle through windows, but the five killed did not manage to escape,” he said.
He said those who escaped alerted the other vehicles of the danger ahead.
“When we approached the scene, we saw people running into the bushes, waving at us. We stopped and jumped out of the other vehicles,” he said.
They ran into a nearby village where they alerted a chief, who called the police in Mandera town.
Mr Kilonzo said their journey to the quarries from Mandera town normally starts at 6am.
“We get to Bura-Abor centre at about 7am, where we spend some time buying what we need for food and water before we proceed to the quarries,” he said.
Mr Kilonzo revealed that it was only last week when two National Police Reservists (NPRs) came to the quarry after a long absence.
Mandera County Commissioner Henry Ochako April 28, 2025.
Even as the miners revealed the loopholes in the security arrangements for the quarrying activities, Mandera County Commissioner Henry Ochako maintained that security is provided.
“We have a plan to provide security to quarry workers in Mandera and all the vehicles going to the quarries are escorted by armed security personnel,” he said. “We provide security escort to the quarries and still have officers guarding those quarries.”
When reached for comment, Mr Alio Madey alias China, Chairman of the Quarry Owners Association in Mandera, said they have an agreement with the government to provide security.
“We have about three quarrying stations, including Jirma, Fiqo, and Bura-Abor. We agreed to pay allowances to NPRs guarding our workers, and the payments are done every Sunday,” he said.
Mr Madey said that for the past one and a half months, the NPRs have not been guarding the miners in the quarries.
The quarry owners pay Sh21,000 to NPRs stationed at Bura-Abor and Sh18,000 to those at Jirma and Fiqo quarries every Sunday.
According to Mr Madey, about seven to ten vehicles leave Mandera town every morning to take miners to work.
However, Mr Madey agreed with the government claims that the driver of the vehicle that was attacked acted suspiciously before the incident.
“This driver has been doing this job for about 10 years. I don’t understand why he declined to take his group to Bura-Abor and instead picked a group to Jirma quarry,” he said.
According to the Mandera Security and Intelligence Committee, the driver left the town earlier than normal.
“We want to know why this driver had handed over his vehicle to someone else and decided to board the same as a passenger,” Mr Ochako said.
On the allegations of failing to act on intelligence shared by locals, Mr Ochako said his team was not aware of any planned attack on quarry workers.
Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif accused the county security team of failing to act on shared intelligence.
“I know the community in Mandera is giving real-time information, and I know you are giving intelligence information. Please continue doing that ... Most of the information the community is giving is not being acted on, and that is the biggest challenge,” he said.
He added, “We have a problem with processing the information we receive from the community in Mandera.”
However, Mr Ochako maintained that security personnel did not have any information on an imminent attack.
“I don’t know what intelligence he (the governor) was talking about. Maybe he had it as the governor but never shared it with us,” he said.
The driver of the vehicle that was attacked is still in custody as police continue investigating the incident.
The Mandera County Government offered to fly the five bodies and the two injured workers to Nairobi to ease the transport burden.
The dead have been identified as Mbaabu Karuma, Stephen Mambo, Evans Simiyu, Bernard Masika and George Kilobi.
Joseph Nduati and Peter Maina suffered gunshot injuries.
