Three villages mourn kin hit in Mandera

Three villages in Nyeri plunged into mourning as the news of the macabre killing of 36 people in Mandera County filtered in yesterday morning.

By yesterday evening, some families in Chaka, Gatei and Aguthi villages had confirmed the death of 18 relatives. Other remained apprehensive having failed to reach their kin on phone.

More than 300 people from the three villages were working in quarries in Mandera.

Anguish was written all over the faces of villagers in Nyeri as they awaited to know the fate of their kin. They gathered at the shopping centres to discuss the terror attack.

The affected villages, just 10km from Nyeri town, are dotted with quarries.

"We are very many here and after seeing some of our colleagues coming back better after a Mandera excursion, many thought it is an opportunity to make more money," said John Githinji, who was about to go back to Mandera after some time off.

Work at Kiganjo and Gatei quarries in Nyeri came to a standstill following the tragedy.

Quarry workers stopped working after learning that their colleagues, some of whom had worked there, were either feared dead or missing.

At the Kiganjo quarry, we found Rebecca Muthoni frantically trying to call her husband Simon Karimi whose phone was unreachable.

Muthoni was hysterical as she recalled her last conversation with her husband who was in Mandera.

"He told me that police were insisting they leave the quarries but unfortunately their bosses had not paid them their dues. I hope he is safe wherever he is because I cannot get him on phone," said a tearful Muthoni.

But she was lucky. As she was granting us the interview, his son interrupted with news that he had managed to get his father on phone through another number.

Joseph Gitahi was also distressed. His younger brother Joseph Gitahi went to Mandera a month ago and he wasn't sure which quarry he was working at.

At the Chaka trading centre, the locals appointed Muthamini Wambugu as the co-ordinator of the operation to get the news on their relatives.

She was in contact with Kieni MP Kanini Kega who was said to be co-ordinating with police to help in identifying those who had been killed.