Update March 10, 2020: Mandera Governor Ali Roba has recalled all county staff who had been asked to stay home following rising tensions in Mandera.
Roba stated provided that the staff should return to work following the de-escalation of violence in Mandera as ongoing peace talks between Kenya and Somalia continue.
The talks were initiated when President Uhuru Kenyatta sent Interior CS Fred Matiang'i to Somalia on Sunday, March 8. In response, President Mohammed Farmajo of Somalia agreed to meet with President Uhuru to discuss the situation in Mandera.
Mandera Governor Ali Roba has issued a directive to his county staff, asking them to keep away from their offices. Governor Roba has stated that he cannot guarantee their safety, given the presence of Jubaland troops in the area.
According to a source who spoke to Kenyans.co.ke, the staff have heeded the order and not gone to their offices because of the tensions.
"It is very tense. From the point where the fighting started, Border Point 1 all the way down to Bula Hawa, everyone has vacated," he provided.
The directive has followed a press statement issued by the Council of Governors on Wednesday, March 3, expressing their concern about the ongoing attacks in the region.
The statement, signed by Wycliffe Oparanya as chairman of the Council of Governors, expressed that the national government had a duty to protect its citizens.
"No Kenyan citizens should feel unsafe in their own land and therefore we urge the national government to take prompt action in restoring peace and calmness in Mandera County," read the statement in part.
The sentiments expressed followed national concern over security in Mandera town following reports of heavy gunfire in Bulla Hawa, a town bordering Mandera.
The shots fired were from a fierce exchange between Somali forces and Jubaland security forces.
According to a report by The Standard on March 2, 2020, the gunfire led to a network failure in the county as the military jammed telecommunication masts.
The exchange had been wrongly cited as taking place in Mandera before police reports provided that the incident happened in the bordering nation of Somalia.
The renewed tension across the border towns has been attributed to the presence of Somali fugitive Abdirashid Janan who is said to be hiding out in Mandera town.
Ali Roba had called on the government to intervene and have the fugitive Somalia minister removed from the region.
The Somali government, on its part, has asked Kenya to assist in the arrest of the minister or risk jeopardizing good relations between the two countries.
