3 dead, one injured in a landmine explosion in Mandera

Three contractors have been killed and another seriously wounded when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) in Mandera county along the border with Somalia. (Courtesy)

MANDERA—Three contractors have been killed and another seriously wounded when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device  (IED) in Mandera county along the border with Somalia on Monday at 10 am.

Mandera South Deputy County Commissioner Paul Kemei said the incident targeted a civilians vehicle with a team clearing a road on the Kenya-Somalia border.

The team was headed to their work station when the device exploded in the border town of Elwak.

“The victims have been clearing a road along the security wall and they were hit by what we suspect to be an improvised explosive device,” Mr Kemei said.

The deputy county commissioner noted that all workers are usually escorted to the site by security officers but its not clear why this was not the case in this incident. He said an investigation has been launched.

Kemei stated that he suspects the explosive might have been planted by Al Shabaab militants.

“All teams working on the security wall have security provided but it remains unclear how this team went on site without security officers,” he said.

The Kenya- Somali border which was closed five years ago is 360 kilometers long, and efforts by the Kenya government to stop movements between the two countries have not borne fruit.

On March, the porous border wall was temporarily stopped to allow further negations between Kenya and Somalia states.

The construction of the border wall has been associated with many challenges as the restricted movement of people and goods has affected legitimate businesses in Mandera.