How non-locals are integrating in Mandera's conservative society

The national and Mandera governments are integrating non-locals into the communities in the county.

The aim is to open up the county for every other Kenyan, no matter their faith beliefs, to live and work.

Governor Mohammed Khalif said the non-locals are now considered the seventh community in the county. Mandera has six local ethnic communities.

With the integration, they are considered in local appointments and policy decisions.

“I don’t call these fellow Kenyans non-locals because that sounds exclusionary and discriminatory. They are the seventh community and we are working closely with them and tap into their contribution to the local economy,” he said in an interview.

The non-locals work in virtually every sector in the county, including teaching in private and public schools, operating businesses and in quarries.

They also operate hospitality establishments in the town and others engage in farming.

“The seventh community is becoming as vibrant as others because Mandera is safe for everyone. You can do your business, take your child to school like any other and contribute to the economy,” Khalif said.

The governor dismissed the assertion by non-local teachers that the county was unsafe and wanted to be moved.

Khalif said most unemployed teachers from other parts of the country flock to the county and once absorbed into the public service, they start the allegations of insecurity.

“Teachers come here only armed with TSC numbers and once absorbed, they start the allegations of terror and insecurity so they can be transferred to their home counties. It is not true that non-locals are targeted here,” he said.

“It is almost like they are using Mandera as a stepping stone to launch their careers then go back. And why is it that only secondary school teachers have this concern? Why not primary school teachers?”

Patrick Meso, the deputy county commissioner said the area is safe for every Kenyan.

“No one hates non-locals. The only problem I have with them is their habits like wearing short dresses, drinking alcohol openly and in groups and living in crowded apartment buildings,” he said.

“Most of these fellow Kenyans like playing their loud music in crowds and dancing to them as they make merry. This is common in the quarries. We have advised that this is not safe because al Shabaab like those dramatic areas to exploit for propaganda.” 

For the concerns raised by the teachers, Meso said, it is way better to be a teacher in Mandera than other places as those hired through even boards of managements are better paid.

“There is no other place in this country where BoM teachers are paid like Sh30,000 a month as they look for TSC absorption.”

The county’s integration policy has seen local appointments embrace diversity, placing them in task forces and key dockets.