Mandera bus firms count losses after terrorist attack

Saturday’s deadly terrorist attack in Mandera has cut public transport business to north eastern Kenya by more than half, operators said, citing mass cancellation of bookings.

Fresh bookings have also dropped sharply since the dawn attack in which 28 people were executed, leaving the operators with huge losses as the usually busy Christmas and end of year season sets in.

Booking records at the Nairobi offices of the bus transport companies showed that 16 of the 48 passengers, who had booked Tawakal Bus Service to travel to Mandera on Monday, cancelled their bookings – leaving the bus half empty.

The company’s manager, who identified himself as Ahmed, told the Business Daily that by midday, about seven bookings from Mandera had also been cancelled.

“People are afraid to travel. We’ve previously had cases of insecurity, but this is the worst,” he said. Saddam Yakub, the booking agent for Desert Courier, another bus company, said he had booked only three passengers by noon Monday.

He said the transport firm would put the passengers in rivals’ buses should it fail to get enough numbers.

E-coach manager Mohammed Amin said passenger numbers had dropped to an average of 20 per day down from near capacity of 50 passengers last week.

Previously, the buses have plied the insecure route without any security escorts until Monday when the police started providing the service between Mandera and Elwak.

One of Tawakal’s buses was in May ambushed by suspected Al-Shabaab militants who shot the conductor dead but the driver, who was also shot, managed to drive the bus to Mandera.

Mandera county commissioner Michael Tialal was then quoted as saying that Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers, General Service Unit officers, APs and regular police officers had been deployed to the area to apprehend the attackers and assured residents and travellers of security.

More attacks on buses and goods trucks have since been reported, especially between Arabiya and Mandera.

It also emerged Monday that the government has ordered all bus companies operating in Mandera to change their route past Elwak. The shorter Elwak-Arabiya-Mandera road is close to the Kenya-Somalia border, making it an easy terrorist target.

Now they will use the Elwak-Gari-Rhamu-Mandera route.

“This will also significantly affect business. The new route is long and the road is in a very bad state, meaning we must spend more on fuel and tyres,” Mr Amin said.

The buses have maintained fares to Mandera at Sh3,500 although this could be subject to operating expenses.

Mr Ahmed said that the operators hoped that insurance companies would take advantage of the security situation to charge them more. Currently, the operators pay Sh33,000 for a third party cover per bus.

The operators described the Nairobi-Garissa section of the journey to Mandera as relatively safe and hoped that revenues from that part of the business would cushion them from the huge losses on the Mandera route.

Teachers who form a sizable number of the passengers are now looking to fly from the area and may be reluctant to go back in January when schools re-open.

Ms Phyllis Nyaga, an early childhood (ECDE) teacher and her colleague Ms Evelyn Wanjiru said that they were not keen on going back to Mandera.

“Everywhere I go, I am not free because the locals have told me that that the (attack) is just the beginning and advised me not to use the road when travelling to Nairobi,” Ms Nyaga said.

Health workers at Mandera Referral Hospital on Monday threatened to leave the area saying they would only return once their security was assured. 

“I have packed all my belongings and I'm ready to go once the plane lands here. I don’t even care about my salary,” said Emily Omache, a clinical officer. It is feared that a mass exodus and continued insecurity could trigger a slowdown in Mandera’s economy.

Businesses like barber shops, eateries, cyber cafes that are operated by non-locals remained closed on Monday although normalcy was slowly returning.

It was also a slow day for businessmen in markets who reported low sales with medical staff, teachers and other workers posted from other counties who are regular customers staying away.

Taxis continued operating in the town buoyed by a heavy presence of security officers.

Business and religious leaders led by the national vice chairman of Kenya Livestock Market Council (KLMC), Dubat Amey, urged the government to deal with the terror challenge in the counties of Mandera, Wajir and Garissa.