Mandera and Ethiopia work together

TAKING NO CHANCES: A plainclothes policewoman in Mandera searches female passengers travelling to Nairobi last December 8

Mandera leaders have engaged Ethiopian authorities to increase business and curb human trafficking.

In a meeting held last Friday, the two governments discussed mutual cooperation.

Mandera county commissioner Fredrick Shisia briefed the press in his office on Monday.

He said the two governments are committed to increasing the volume of trade between Mandera and Dolo region.

Shisia said the government is losing revenue in non-customised goods from Dolo.

“We are working on deploying Kenya Revenue Authority and Kenya Bureau of Standards officers at Suftu on the common border to collect revenue for our county," he said.

“We are pushing the Ethiopian government to operationalise the deal and deploy KBS and revenue officers to start the project."

Shisia said the porous border has been a conduit for illegal immigrants from Ethiopia on their way to South Africa.

The leaders agreed to curb human trafficking.

Shisia said the Ethiopian officials were urged to do more in protecting Kenyans from terror attacks.

Ethiopian soldiers under the African Union Mission in Somalia are based in Gedo, Somalia.

While many terror attacks have happened in Mandera, no single terror incident has been reported in Sustu, Ethiopia.

Mandera security chiefs learned from Ethiopia on how they have shielded the country from al Shabaab attacks.