Reasons To Invest In Mandera County

1 Strategic location: Unique geographical position at the heart of the crossroad
connecting Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the east and the Middle East.

2 Market potential: A vast domestic market with a population of 1.2 million people
and quick access to the rest of Kenya and neigbouring markets.

3 Abundant resources: Mandera County is endowed with cosmic natural resources
such as gypsum, oil, natural gas, soda ash and limestone.

4 Bureaucracy: A responsive administration committed to improving infrastructure
and eliminating bureaucratic processes, regulations and trade barriers.

5 Political stability: Enhanced security involving the national police and police
reserve coupled with unity among leaders has created peace and stability.

Agricultural land along River Daua

6 Land: Plenty of productive agricultural land in a vast area which can be developed
for industrial and infrastructural projects like airports and industries.

7 Labour: Plenty of skilled and unskilled human resource in addition to professionals
and experts in various disciplines and services.

8 Water: The River Daua which stretches for 160 kilometres has great opportunities
for irrigation, hydropower and setting up of bottling plants, man made lakes and dams.

9 Livestock: Traditionally the main economic activity in the region, the livestock sector
is being developed for export of meat, cheese, milk and leather products.

10.Green energy: Immense potential for hydro power generation, wind, solar and
biofuels to meet the growing demand for energy to empower the region.

ONE TALENT AT A TIME, COUNTY CIVIL SERVICE GROWS.

Two years ago, when the County Government was established, inter-clan clashes was a major concern. Loss of human life, however, has since gone down tremendously, thanks to deliberate activities targeting the factors that triggered and fuelled fights.-Ahmed Sheikh Mohamed

On advent of devolution and upon establishment, Mandera County realized it had a 97 per cent staff deficit. The devolution train arrived pregnant with expectations from the people and the County Government knew it was staring at failure, unless it could quickly find the human resource to deliver services. Mandera’s case was “devolution from scratch”, with all the odds lined up against Governor Ali Roba’s team.

“We were the number two poorest county. We had huge security challenges and realised fairly quickly that we also had nearly zero staff. It was a very steep learning curve. Now we have success to talk about,” says Mr. Roba.The Governor says devolution has reinvigorated life and hope locally, and represents a rebirth of Mandera. The County’s minister for public service, conflict resolution, cohesion and integration Mr. Ahmed Sheikh knows how it came to be that there were hardly any civil servants in Mandera.

“We were coming from a history where civil servants would be posted to Mandera as a form of punishment. Indeed, the larger region’s name was North Eastern Province

(NEP) and was ridiculed as Nothing Except Problems (NEP),” he says. He adds that their task now is to make the ‘P’ to stand for pleasure. The County Government has employed 1,400 staff, most of them local. Despite initial apprehension, a way was found to work with the Central Government structures in the sub-counties and officers in all the 30 wards.

As the County programmes take shape, focus by the people has continued to shift from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and the Uwezo Fund. Mr. Sheikh says they have taken a deliberate decision not to grow their wage bill too fast, recognizing that Mandera is starting from a very low infrastructural base and most resources need to go to development.

“We have a self-imposed target of spending at least half of our budget on development, hence we have been building our workforce on need-by-need basis,” says the minister. However, crucial services such as health and education get priority. “When we established the County Government, we found that only three of the 54 medical facilities were operational. And even these three were operating at only 10 per cent capacity due to lack of staff. We have had to recruit 350 health staff,”

said Mr Sheikh.

Special Programmes

Cohesion and integration activities have been accorded a unique slot in the County Government’s programmes, given Mandera’s wrestle with perennial inter-clan skirmishes. Two years ago, when the County Government was established, inter-clan clashes was a major concern. Loss of human lives, however, has since gone down tremendously, thanks to deliberate activities targeting the factors that triggered and fuelled fights.

Clan rivalry was worsened by poor security arrangements and failure to fight petty criminals. This allowed petty crime to fester into crisis levels because the public often ended up arming themselves out of frustration from weak policing. The County Government is working hard to ensure measures are in place to deal with such. The government has initiated frequent peace forums drawing elders from the different clans.

These open channels for communication and resolution of any potential trouble issues before they fester into violent conflict. Addressing a recent peace forum held in Banisa, Governor Roba said it was time the communities forgot the past and concentrated on the progressive issues currently driving the County’s developmental

programme.

“We are in a new era and we have to be planning new things for we have had five months of relative calm in the county as far as the inter-clan clashes are concerned, and it is my prayer that we continue in the same spirit so that we can develop,” says Governor Roba.

General Public Service Appointments

Ethnic Group No. %

Somali 1335 82.5%

Kikuyu 48 3.0%

Kalenjin 36 2.2%

Kisii 33 2.0%

Meru 32 2.0%

Luhya 27 1.7%

Borana 22 1.4%

Kamba 21 1.3%

Luo 20 1.2%

Mijikenda 7 0.4%

Burji 7 0.4%

Embu 6 0.4%

Others 13 0.8%

Mbeere 3 0.2%

Teso 2 0.1%

Samburu 2 0.1%

Swahili 2 0.1%

Tharaka 1 0.1%

Turkana 1 0.1%

Taita 1 0.1%

Total 1619 100.0

Disaggregated General Public Service

(Somali Group)

Clan No. %

Gurreh 729 54.6%

Somali 214 16.0%

Murulle 195 14.6%

Degodia 115 8.6%

Corner Tribe 63 4.7%

Ogaden 8 0.6%

Marehan 6 0.4%

Ajuran 5 0.4%

Total 1335 100.0%

New Appointments

Ethnic Group No. %

Somali 1017 86.0%

Kisii 30 2.5%

Kikuyu 30 2.5%

Meru 23 1.9%

Luhya 18 1.5%

Kalenjin 18 1.5%

Luo 14 1.2%

Kamba 12 1.0%

Mijikenda 5 0.4%

Embu 5 0.4%

Borana 3 0.3%

Mbeere 3 0.3%

Teso 2 0.2%

Swahili 1 0.1%

Burji 1 0.1%

Total 1182 100.0%

Disaggregated New Appointments

(Somali Group)

Clan No. %

Gurreh 657 64.6%

Murulle 181 17.8%

Degodia 97 9.5%

Corner Tribe 63 6.2%

Ogaden 8 0.8%

Marehan 6 0.6%

Ajuran 5 0.5%

Total 1017 100.0%

Public Service Board Members

Clan No. %

Gurreh 3 43%

Murulle 3 43%

Marehan 1 14%

Total 7 100%

CEC Members

Clan No. %

Gurreh 5 40%

Murulle 2 30%

Degodia 2 20%

Corner Tribe 1 10%

Total 10 100

Championing A Mandera Free Of Security Threats

“We have endured and survived the greatest challenges of our time and managed to perform fairly well under extreme conditions. The World Bank report put Mandera in the top 14 counties despite difficult circumstances. We know we can do better if we are free of internal security challenges and terror threats.”- Governor Capt. Ali Roba.

If there are counties whose people have demonstrated resilience, Mandera is among those at the very top. The county has endured security threats from occasional clan rivalries and terror attacks by Al-Shabab militants. Still, it has stayed on course with its development agenda. Working in collaboration with National Cohesion and Integration Commission, Mandera County Government has championed stakeholder meetings and conflict impact assessments in its resolve to strike lasting peace in the area.

The peace meetings have not only entailed integrated participation of the council of elders, youth and women, but have also embraced cross-border linkages with neighbouring Ethiopia and Somalia. “We have endured and survived the greatest challenges of our time and managed to perform fairly well under extreme conditions. The World Bank report put Mandera in the top 14 counties despite difficult circumstances. We know we can do better if we are free of security challenges,” Mandera County Governor Ali Roba says. He continues: “There are moments in the lives of nations and its people when it is incumbent upon those in leadership with clarity of vision to survey the problem with all its complexities and vain memories in a bold drive toward new horizons.Such moments are now for us in Mandera.”

Mandera Senator Billow Kerrow confirms that leaders in Mandera back the peace building efforts, saying: “As leaders, we are committed to the process. Insha Allah, the people of this region will ultimately reconcile and live in peace.” The County leadership has been on a campaign mode to make Mandera an island of peace after a history of clan clashes that previously turned villages into killing fields. The dream has been to have officials of Mandera County Government stand together to strengthen security amid challenges including the terror thereat from across the border with particularly Somalia. Governor Roba says: “We have fulfilled our promise to deal with the tribal clashes and the insecurity in our county firmly. I am happy to report that the security situation is at its best despite isolated incidents of terror attacks.”

The situation is stabilising around the county, and today, there is a more secure Mandera town. “This County Government cannot fail to work because of insecurity caused by a few selfish individuals,” declares Governor Roba. “We will take all measures to make sure the dream of developing Mandera County and making it an attractive investment destination is not hindered by insecurity.” The Governor continues: “As a County, we have scaled new heights in the area of security. We inherited a burning county, but we have managed to neutralise many acts of violence with the support of our leaders from the county.”

“Our clans now co-exist peacefully. In this regard, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the National Government for the support they have provided us and the local security team in Mandera for rising to the occasion to secure our County.” I also thank our leaders, both elected and local leadership, as well as the COE, who were very instrumental to the achievement of this result. The chairperson of the Mandera County Public Service Mr Abdi-Nur Hussein, says the County has hired 200 enforcement officers, who were offered paramilitary training at the National Youth Service.

The minister in-charge of conflict resolution, cohesion and integration, Mr Ahmed Sheikh, says a genuine quest for peaceful ways to dealing with conflict amongst rival clans has gone a long way in also allowing for effective security management. “Before the County Government came into being, Mandera got its fair share of violence from across the border. Foreign fighters infiltrated the clan militia.Their agenda was not to support one clan against the other but to use the violence as a shadow for a bigger mission of disrupting county/national security. We had to come up with a county security strategy to address short and long-term issues,” says Mr. Sheikh.

The minister says mediation, especially through elders and key opinion leaders, has seen the resettlement of 80 per cent of IDPs, 48 reconciliation meetings, 35 dialogue meetings and 25 Rapid response initiatives. The county Government has also revived Traditional Justice System (TJS) in the form of Council of Elders (COEs). The COEs are now present in all the six sub-counties. They handle day-to-day intra and inter clan disputes. To support the work of the COEs, the Garreh and Degodia clans elected committee members composed of 15 elders to spearhead the implementation of the peace accord.

Big Strides Despite The Challenges In Security

The first Deputy Governor of Mandera County Omar Mohammed Maalim says Mandera County is slowly but sure meetings its dreams of devolution. He says the ambitious aspirations set out in the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) are being implemented and the county government has a committed leadership and team spirit to do it. We are keen on transforming the county into a regional business hub and fruit producer. We have invested a big chunk of our budgets to building modern roads, constructing a regional livestock market, a fruit processing factory, and turning around health and education sectors among others.

“Our county has a lot of challenges. But we are slowly turning them into opportunities. We are implementing our strategic plans to deliver life-changing services to our people. The sky is the limit for this Administration.” World Bank ranked our county, as among the top performing and despite security challenges posed by Al-Shabaab we are course to delivering on the promises we made to the electorate.

The Deputy Governor says the team works hard— from the Governor, himself to the Members of the County Assembly—and that remains a strength that not many counties enjoy. “We consult widely on various issues and resolve differences in an inclusive manner,” he adds. He says a blend of different skills among the top leadership is delivering great results. The governor comes on board with a wealth of experience from the private sector, and thus brings management expertise while his deputy has a strong background in the civil society specialising on improving lives—just the right mix for a county that has been marginalised since independence.”

“Livestock is the livelihood of our pastoralists. That’s why we have a major rolled out water provision services across the county and improved vaccination and watering troughs services as we build a regional livestock market”.

To attract investors the county government is making the business environment conducive. He says Mandera is a virgin investment region and they are taking lessons from remote countries, which have turned themselves into industrial hubs. “There are opportunities such as a growing population that provides market and labour, two international borders and even raw materials for certain industries,” he says.

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A UNIVERSITY TO MOULD THE YOUTH FOR A NEW MANDERA.

“We expect to admit our first 300 students in August and the classes should start by September 1. Mandera University of Science and Technology is taking shape. We promised to have a fully-fledged university in Mandera and we are on course to delivering it in the course of this first term of devolution.” - Governor Ali Roba.

Youth development is at the core of Mandera’s growth plans. The County Government is making bold steps to build appropriate avenues, the key one beingthe envisaged Mandera University. Governor Ali Roba knows that Mandera’s unique geographic and socio-economic setting is such that its vision and ambition can only be realised through a home-grown human capital with relevant skills.

“We must secure the future of our youth in this County through improved transition rates at all levels. The County Government has invested heavily in turning around our academic performance,” he says. “Even though education has not been devolved, we have committed funds through the County bursary fund to train more teachers and medical personnel. We can no longer afford to suffer due to lack of adequate personnel to guarantee continuity of services. We are offering full scholarships for the two sectors,” continues Governor Roba.

The vision is wider. Mandera County Government has partnered with the Technical University of Kenya to open a college in Mandera. Eventually, this will give birth to Mandera University of Science and Technology. “We expect to admit our first 300 students in August and the classes should start by September 1^st. Mandera University of Science and Technology is taking shape. We promised to have a fully-fledged university in Mandera and we are on course to delivering it in the course of this first term of devolution,” says the Governor.

The County Government will sponsor the first 300 students to train on plumbing, masonry, electrical work, carpentry, metal work and computer science for the first term on first come first served basis.

“With an average revenue inflow of Ksh8 billion per year over the next five years in this County, we expect massive construction work that will need skilled manpower. We will position our youth to benefit from the upcoming opportunities.” The county minister for education and social services Johora Mohamed Abdi explains that Mandera benefitted from the Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) National Expansion economic stimulus Project through the construction of a two-floor training facility.  

This was realised through the mentoring of Technical University of Kenya. The County Government decided the facility becomes Mandera Technical College (MTC)

and later grows into a university. The County commissioned a Youth Skills Needs Analysis (YSNA) study, which made recommendations for the first courses to be offered at the college.

These were determined to be Automotive Engineering; Welding and Fabrication; Electrical and Electronics; and Hospitality, Food and Beverage. The four courses have potential for high employment opportunities in the County. Several other courses that are less expensive to mount were also identified. They are Human Resource Management; Sales and Marketing; Supply Chain Management; and Accounting.