Security agencies are on high alert in Mandera County after two non-local quarry workers were abducted in a bold daylight attack near the Shimbir area. The two men, part of a six-member loading crew, were seized by armed attackers believed to be affiliated with al Shabaab.
Highlights
- Two quarry workers, both non-locals, kidnapped near Shimbir on June 18.
- Attack happened around 1 p.m. as a lorry approached the quarry site.
- Four local workers escaped as gunmen emerged from nearby bushes.
- Multi-agency teams launched a manhunt across the Mandera–Somalia border zone.
- Victims identified as John Kambua and Martin Musyoki.
Main Story
At around 1 p.m. on June 18, a lorry carrying six quarry loaders was approaching a worksite in the Shimbir area when the vehicle came under sudden attack. According to police and eyewitness reports, four armed men emerged from the bush in Chachabole and intercepted the crew.
While the four local workers managed to flee into the nearby terrain, two non-local workers—John Kambua and Martin Musyoki—were captured and taken by the assailants.
The abduction triggered an immediate multi-agency search involving police, local authorities, and border patrol units. Security personnel have intensified operations across Mandera and surrounding areas, particularly near the porous Kenya–Somalia border, where similar past abductions have ended with victims being trafficked across.
Authorities suspect the attackers are linked to the Somalia-based militant group al Shabaab, which has previously carried out cross-border raids targeting non-local workers in the region.
This attack echoes previous patterns where non-residents working in Mandera’s quarries are singled out for abduction or assassination. Locals, familiar with escape routes and terrain, often evade capture. The ongoing targeting of outsiders has heightened fear among migrant laborers and renewed calls for stronger protection of vulnerable workers in the region.
As the search for John Kambua and Martin Musyoki continues, the tragedy underscores the dangerous reality faced by non-local workers on Kenya’s border frontlines.
