A standoff looms between sand traders and Makueni county government over illegal sand harvesting.
This follows a confrontation between the county askaris and goons said to have been hired by sand traders in Salama town, which saw county inspectorate officers beaten up and two of their vehicles torched barely two weeks ago.
To avert the escalation of the dispute, Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana has called on Internal Security Cabinet secretary Joseph Nkaissery to dismantle an alleged sand cartel operating at Mlolongo. He said the cartel is behind the burning of county vehicles.
But the traders have accused county enforcement officers of harassment, claiming they get their sand from the nearby Kajiado county not Makueni.
At the weekend, a meeting to deliberate on the matter was convened at Wote town, bringing together senior officials from sand haulers unions and members of Makueni County Sand Authority, a semi-autonomous local agency charged with conserving sand and regulating sand trade.
Acquired on loans
Tempers flared during the five-hour meeting as the traders narrated how their drivers suffer at the hands of inspectorate officers. The officers were accused of deflating tyres of trucks suspected to be ferrying sand from Makueni.
“We shall not stomach vandalism and destruction of our hard-earned assets by your enforcement team. Our relationship is going to the dogs unless you chip in hurriedly. Some of our trucks were acquired on loans that have to be repaid,” said sand trader Kezzia Nthenya.
And Mathews Mawira, chairman of UTS group of sand transporters, said: “Once a vehicle is impounded and it is confirmed to be ferrying sand from Makueni, it should not be driven by county government officials to Wote Town as this puts the owners in an awkward position dealing with the insurers. The vehicles should be booked at the nearest police station.” The sand traders further accused County askaris of soliciting bribes even when there was no offence committed.
Sand traders denied attacking enforcement officers and burning county government vehicles.
“We are aware that sand harvesting in Makueni is forbidden. We have been fetching our sand from rivers in Kajiado,” said Morris Kala, chairman sand traders society.
The meeting resolved the formation of a taskforce to address the standoff and regulate sand harvesting.
Makueni Sand Authority chair Charles Mutuku said the team will also investigate allegations against county officers.
“We shall look into claims that county enforcement officers have been harassing truck drivers and demanding bribes,” he said.
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