In an effort to tame smuggling, the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) have dug a trench and filled it with a razor wire at the main border with Ethiopia in Moyale.
Officials say the areas being dug by the army are the ones smugglers use to bring in foreigners, contraband goods and drugs.
Trenches stretching more than ten kilometres have been dug in Sessi, Kore, Foundation, and Biashara in the area.
In May, the military had said sealing off the illegal entry points will help in keeping off smugglers who conduct illicit trade along the Kenya – Ethiopia border.
Speaking at an event to officially handover the security project to the Marsabit County Security Team on Monday, Secretary Internal Security (SIS) Mr Wilson Njega, said “the project was a step in the right direction towards securing our borders.
The long-term goal is to safeguard our borders. To achieve this, we have to continue identifying and sealing off all illegal channels so that we can enable legitimate cross-border trade,” he said.
He added that there are considerations to extend the trenches for a further 50 kilometres on either side of the Point of Entry (PoE) to curb the emergence of other routes and replicate the security project in other PoEs that have been experiencing similar challenges.
“We promise that this is not the end. The National Government plans to continuously engage the County security team and the border management committee here in Moyale to find solutions to problems, immediately they arise,” Njega said.
The sealed routes had been a constant bane for security organs and border personnel at the Moyale One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) as they had been serving as conduits for human and drug trafficking, illegitimate trade and terrorism activities.
The illegal channels had also been enabling the proliferation of small arms and light weapons into Kenya and endangered wildlife through trade in game meat and trophies.
Kenya shares an 800-kilometre border with Ethiopia to the north. The Moyale OSBP – constructed in 2017 – is the only gazetted PoE along this border. So far, Kenya has 35 PoEs which include land, air and sea borders.
