Kajiado residents oppose bill to control multi-million shilling river sand trade

A move by the Kajiado County Assembly to enact a law to control the multi-million shilling river sand harvesting and quarrying business is running into headwinds as a section of the population mounts resistance.

Over the years, river sand harvesting has been one of the most lucrative enterprises in the vast semi-arid county, with at least 500 trucks transporting river sand daily and more than 100,000 people living directly or indirectly from the business.

A 15-tonne truck of sand costs between Sh2,000-Sh3,000 to buy from the source and an average of Sh8,000 to load. A seven-tonne truck costs between Sh1,000 and Sh1,500 to buy and a minimum of Sh4,500 to load.

Each truck is also subject to a county cess per trip. In the satellite towns of Kitengela, Ong'ata Rongai, Ngong and Kiserian, a 15-tonne truck of river sand sells for between Sh30,000 and 35,000 within a town radius. A seven-tonne truck sells for at least Sh14,000.

However, the Kajiado County Assembly's Water, Environment and Natural Resources Committee, chaired by Keekonyokie MCA Amos Solitei, has introduced the Sand Conservation and Quarrying Management Bill 2024, which seeks to impose several restrictions on the lucrative business in a bid to streamline it.

Apart from proposing a seven-member County Sand Conservation and Quarrying Management Committee, the bill has proposed a ban on night sand transport, a 6am to 6pm operating time and stringent safety measures in the business. The committee is proposing laws to tame rogue transporters notorious for overloading.

Stringent measures

Despite other proposed stringent measures on sand harvesting and quarrying, the proposals to control the sale of river sand haven't gone down well with locals, sparking an uproar with a section of locals equating it to the controversial Finance Bill 2024, that recently sparked nationwide protests.

Dozens of youths from Matapato, Iloodokilani, Kajiado Central, Kenyewa-Poka, Imaroro and Magadi are claiming on various social media platforms that they will occupy the county assembly on Tuesday with shovels to arm-twist the MCAs to reject the bill.

The committee is also seeking to empower the County Directorate Department to designate and license sand selling points across the county to control illegal stockpiling. The committee will have the right to set minimum price guidelines for the sale of sand throughout the county.

They also want the revenue from the sale of sand and quarry resources to be shared between the county and the conservation fund at a ratio of 70 per cent and 30 per cent respectively.

A section of the locals describe some of the proposed regulations as draconian and insensitive, designed to favour the wealthy few in the lucrative business. They accuse some politicians of seeking a monopoly through the back door of the sand business. One local politician is accused of operating a fleet of trucks transporting sand to Nairobi without paying a penny to the devolved unit or applying for a permit.

"This is a well-orchestrated scheme by a few individuals to keep the 'poor' masses out of the lucrative business. Some of the proposed regulations are insensitive. Sand traders prefer to harvest and transport sand at night when temperatures are low and there is less traffic," said James Leposo.

 The bill further proposes that no sand harvesting/scooping shall be done beyond a depth of six feet and shall not be done in any river bed.

Designated harvesting sites

"Loading of sand shall be done at designated harvesting sites through controlled access points," reads part of the bill seen by the Nation.

 Mr Katampoi Mpoke Chairman Ilanyuaak Sand Harvesters Sacco in Nkinye, Kajiado Central Sub County told Nation that the proposed regulations are a double-edged sword depending on which side you look at it.

"Some of the proposed regulations are beneficial but there are some grey areas that need to be removed from the bill. We have already reached out to the committee to remove some of the oppressive clauses," said Mr Katampoi.

Attempts to reach the Water, Environment and Natural Resources Committee, chaired by Mr Amos Solitei, for comment, were unsuccessful, but a member of the committee, who spoke in confidence, told the Nation on Saturday that the committee had asked for more time to "fine-tune" the Bill.

The purpose of the bill is to provide a framework for the registration, inspection, licensing, regulation and coordination of sand mining and quarrying activities in the county.

Over the past three years, Kajiado County has been hit hard by the adverse effects of climate change, largely due to environmental degradation, including uncontrolled sand harvesting that is destroying the River Line ecosystem. During the devastating 2022-2024 drought, at least one million animals are reported to have died, according to data from the National Drought Management Authority.