Service delivery in Mandera grinds to a halt as State workers camp at airstrip

Mandera, Kenya: Despite heavy security presence in Mandera, panic and anxiety following Saturday’s terrorist attack have reached fever pitch.

The provision of essential services has been disrupted as over 300 non-resident Government workers took refuge at a military airstrip.

Halima Yussuf, a resident of Mandera who has been a neighbour of some of the fleeing families, said her family was disturbed because people they had co-existed with now viewed them with suspicion.

“I don’t know whether my former neighbours suspect us of crimes done by people who unfortunately claim to share our religion, but they left us to take refuge at a military camp without even saying goodbye,” she said.

“My children lost three of their teachers in the cowardly terrorist attack and they have been crying since then. One kept looking at the last remarks by one of the teachers wishing them a good December holiday on their term report and has even refused to eat.”

Ms Yussuf noted that many of the children needed counselling due to trauma arising from the loss of their teachers.

Services at Mandera Referral Hospital have been hampered as majority of workers are among those camping at the local open military camp awaiting a safe exit from the town.

On Tuesday, a team of top national government officials led by Head of Civil Service Francis Kinyua visited Mandera town and gave assurance that the Government would provide adequate security for all Kenyans.

Mr Kinyua promised roads connecting Mandera and Wajir would have joint security patrols, adding that residents had a civil obligation to support Government efforts to provide security by giving information to security agents on time.

Kinyua said the Government would expedite plans to upgrade the B9 road that passes Mandera town via Rhamu to Wajir as the Mandera-Lafey route was prone to Al-Shabaab attacks due to its proximity to the Somalia border.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers National Executive Council member for North Eastern region, Ali Abdi Hussein, said the incidents not only affected the immediate families of those killed but the entire teachers’ fraternity.

“All residents of the region are shocked by the brutal killings of fellow Kenyans. Parents, teachers and children in Mandera County are also affected because they had direct attachments to those killed in the barbaric bus raid. There are several children who require urgent counselling,” he told The Standard.

 

Life insurance

Hussein told the Government to provide life insurance cover for the teachers working in insecurity-prone areas, adding that last weekend’s attack that claimed 28 lives, majority of them teachers, was a clear indication that tutors needed the cover now more than ever.

Army Commander Joseph Kasaon promised a 24-hour security operation across the county, noting that the Kenya Defence Forces had a responsibility to protect the country from external threats.

Mr Kasaon said an elders’ meeting would be followed by a public ‘baraza’ today, which will focus on uniting residents of different religions.

He said after Saturday’s attack, KDF acted swiftly and killed 100 Al-Shabaab militants who were involved in the attack.