Concerns as residents destroy part of the Kenya-Somalia security fence in Bulahawa

Security personnel patrolling the Kenya-Somalia border wall.

Residents of Bulahawa in Somalia have been accused of destroying a security fence under construction on the Kenyan border.

Witnesses said on Tuesday, a mob brought down the concrete pillars which are supposed to anchor the fence to the ground.

Bulahawa neighbours Mandera town and there is a no-man’s-land between the two towns, which has resulted in locals building structures right at the border.

Residents of both countries have resisted the fence ever since it was mooted in 2015, saying it is a ploy by the Kenyan Government to separate communities under the guise of fighting terrorism.

They also say the fence has disrupted the movement of livestock as herders seek pasture and water.

This forced the Government to halt the construction in March last year to address the issues raised by the communities.

Security agents, who held a meeting to discuss the matter, resolved to involve elders who will be sent to Somalia to talk to their counterparts and seek their intervention.