Nairobi (Halbeeg) – Prices of food and household goods are rising in Mandera as Mandera town is on Lockdown for months.
The security forces rumped up border patrol leading total shut down of the border, according to the residents of Mandera town.
Mohamed Osman Ali, a trader in Mandera town said the prices of food and other commodities imported from Somalia suddenly shot up.
Initially the closure did not cause any effect on the price as the inflow of contraband goods was normal but now the government stepped up border patrol and strictly monitored uncustomed goods from Somalia, leading total shut down,” Mr. Ali said.
The closure has reduced revenue earnings for the county as no goods pass at the custom post.
Hassan Ali Hassan, a businessman in Mandera town who spoke to Daily Nation said the local community has paid the price of the move through loss of their business.
Before 2014, most businesses in Mandera and Elwak, the two major commercial centres in the vast county, relied on Mogadishu for supplies.
“We used to import goods for our shops from the Kismayu port in Somalia and paid tax at the main points in Mandera town and Elwak,” he said.
Goods from Somalia are cheaper compared to same merchandise coming from Nairobi.
Mandera, Somalia’s Bulahawa and Ethiopia’s Suftu are conjoined towns that tell a story of same people, same culture but different states.
Closing the border opened an avenue for police to make money from imports coming in through dubious means,” says Mr Hassan.
Kenya closed its border with Somalia in 2014 following a wave of attacks in Mandera by suspected al Shabaab fighters.
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