Mandera Governor Roba orders quarries open despite Gov’t ban

Mandera Governor Ali Ibrahim Roba has directed all quarry fields in Mandera County to be reopened by July 6 despite an existing government ban.

According to the governor, the closure is derailing the county’s economy and is having a negative impact on the livelihood of many families who rely on the quarry fields as source of income.

Governor Roba has also termed the closure of the quarry filed as illegal, baseless and not serving its purpose, a move likely to create confrontation between central government and the county government of Mandera.

The government announced the closure of quarries on May 4, 2018, after four miners were killed by suspected Al Shabaab militants at Shimbir Fatuma quarry in Mandera South.

Several efforts by the quarry association and County government  to convince the security team to reopen the quarry fields were unsuccessful before the move.