Travelling to and out of Mandera is dangerous, costly
This file photo shows what remained of a police car after an ambush by Shabaab militants along Elwak-Lafey road in Mandera County.
James Mwai left Chaka in Nyeri County in 2010 to look after his family, travelling back to his village from Mandera every two months.
Once in Mandera, Mwai moved to the quarries where mining was a lucrative venture due to the high returns.
Things took a turn for Mwai and other miners in 2014, following an attack on a quarry by suspected al-Shabaab militants.
The attack left at least 36 miners dead and forced the local security team to strategise how to contain the situation.
A week earlier, militants had hijacked a bus from Mandera to Nairobi and commandeered it into Somalia, killing 28 passengers.
These two incidents galvanised the government, which quickly closed several roads to public use and banned miners from spending nights in quarries.
"Before the quarry incident, we used to work at night because it was cooler than during the day, which is extremely hot," says Mwai.
He has been upgraded from a miner to a supervisor in one of the quarries.
"These two incidents have affected our lives as casual labourers in Mandera because it has changed our lifestyle and reduced our daily income," he says.
The closure of the Mandera-Lafey-Elwak route meant that buses and all other vehicles had to use the Mandera-Rhamu-Elwak route.
Realising that their targets were no longer using the border road, the militants moved inland and began terrorising buses between Elwak and Wargadud and the notorious "Corner S" area.
Dertu, on the Elwak-Kotulo route, became another theatre of terror.
At these points, the militants could stop the buses, force travellers to get off and separate them into two groups, locals and non-locals.
In all these incidents, the non-locals were always killed.
The ban on non-locals using the terror-prone roads in and around Mandera has changed Mwai's routine of visiting his people in Chaka.
"It has become expensive to travel between Mandera and Nairobi, a distance of 1200 kilometres since 2015. I rarely go back home," he says.
He cites expensive bus and plane tickets and insecure roads for not visiting his village regularly.
Hectic transport
For a non-local to travel to or from Mandera, one has to use the Mandera-Rhamu-Banisa-Takaba route before reaching Moyale.
Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) on this route charge between Sh4,000 and Sh5,000 to get to Moyale.
"I need at least Sh30,000 to get to Nairobi and be sure of getting back to Mandera," he said.
If you use the Toyota Landcruisers that run public transport between Mandera and Moyale, you pay Sh4,000 or Sh5,000. The fare depends on where you sit in the vehicle.
Those in the front passenger seat and behind the driver pay Sh5,000 while passengers in the back seat (in the boot) pay Sh4,000.
The journey takes a full day, so you will need money for food and accommodation in Moyale because no buses leave the border town in the evening.
Buses from Moyale to Nairobi leave in a convoy from 10am, due to fear of banditry in the vast Marsabit County.
The fare from Moyale to Nairobi is Sh2,500.
"I have to spend at least Sh7,500 on transport alone to get from Mandera to Nairobi. I prefer to send this money to my family and stay in Mandera," says Mwai.
Travelling by bus from Mandera costs Sh4,000 for a ticket to Nairobi, but with a stopover in Moyale.
"Getting a direct bus from Mandera to Nairobi remains a challenge as Moyale Liner, the only bus company on the route, does not operate daily due to insecurity and wear and tear.
"We don't operate daily because of the state of the road and the high cost of maintenance. We have to spend at least one day repairing the buses," said Hassan Kassim, an official with the Moyale Raha bus company.
Moyale Raha withdrew from the route last year due to high maintenance costs.
Even though the Mandera-Moyale route remains an option, travellers remain cautious as militants spread their tentacles in the county.
"There is still the problem of al-Shabaab on the government-recommended route. It is very risky to go through Olla area in Mandera North and Derkale in Mandera West," Mwai said.
His claims are borne out by recent incidents reported in Sarman in Mandera North and Elele in Mandera South.
The latest incident on the route occurred on Tuesday when a police vehicle escorting a bus from Banisa to Mandera ran over an explosive device in Guba area. At least three policemen were killed and five others injured in the incident.
To get to Mandera from Moyale, one can go to Banisa, Guba, Olla, Rhamu and then Mandera.
On this road, Darkale, Sarman, Olla remain very dangerous.
If you choose to go from Takaba to Mandera via Wargadud, you must deal with Qoqaye and Elele areas.
For those using the Shimbiri Fatuma feeder, the Gutayu area remains a thorn on their side.
Mwai says the high cost of air tickets discouraged him from flying between the two towns.
"When the ticket was Sh8,000, everyone could afford to fly between Mandera and Naoribi, but since then it has doubled. I cannot even dream of flying again," he said.
During the Mashujaa Day celebrations in Mandera town on June 1, Mandera East MP Hussein Weytan blasted the many travel agencies in the town for unnecessarily hiking the air ticket.
"Paying Sh16,000 for a ticket is not reasonable at all. Travel agents must reduce the cost of tickets between Mandera and Nairobi or we can get other affordable airlines on the route," said Mr Weytan.
The high cost of air tickets in Mandera is due to the high number of brokers involved in chartering a plane on the same route.
"We are currently getting an aircraft for a million shillings. Consider the high cost of fuel and other business permits. It all adds up to an expensive air ticket," says Abdisalan Birik, an air travel agent in Mandera town.
Attempts by the Mandera County government to build an international airport in the county met with strong opposition from locals, leading to its collapse in 2015.
The Tarbaj area on the way to Mandera has become the latest terrorist battleground in Wajir County.
On June 13, a Mandera-bound bus was sprayed with bullets, injuring two passengers, and two days later, another bus was stopped at the same spot by suspected militants.
All passengers were forced to disembark as the militants searched for government officials.
The recent terror attacks on road users in Mandera have revealed that security agencies have stopped providing armed security escorts to buses.
"We are still providing security escorts, but we are challenged by lack of goodwill and financial support," a senior security officer told Nation. Africa on condition of anonymity.
Militants have continued to plant explosives on the tarmac Elwak-Rhamu road, targeting PSVs and police.
"Travelling out of Mandera at the moment is a miracle. You are leaving this county or coming in safely, and you thank God for that," says Mwai.
