Marsabit County Government has expressed deep concern over the rapidly worsening security and humanitarian situation in Moyale, as cross-border fighting continues to spill into the Kenyan side and expose residents to grave danger.
Speaking during a meeting with World Food Programme Country Director Ms. Betty Ka at his office at the county headquarters, Governor Mohamud Ali said the situation had become increasingly alarming, with heavy bombardments and stray bullets directly affecting Kenyan communities living along the border.
The Governor noted that the use of heavy weapons in the conflict across the border has had devastating consequences for residents of Moyale, with explosions and bombardments reported almost every night. He said the deafening blasts have left families living in fear and unable to sleep, as shells continue to land on the Kenyan side.
Governor Ali confirmed that two people on the Kenyan side have lost their lives as a result of stray bullets, while more than 20 others have been injured in different areas and are currently recovering.
He further reported that learning has been severely disrupted in Moyale town, with many schools no longer functioning due to the insecurity. The most affected areas include Township, Heilu /Manyatta and Golbo wards, where artillery shells have reportedly landed in villages such as Sessi, Township, Manyatta, Lami and Heilu, damaging homes and putting civilian lives at constant risk.
The Governor said that, fortunately, several of the heavy shells that landed in residential areas had not exploded, but warned that the threat remains extremely serious. He added that the Kenya Defence Forces have been called in to safely detonate the unexploded ordnance.
In one of the most troubling incidents, Governor Ali revealed that a shell struck Moyale hospital, damaging part of the building and hitting a transformer. Although the shell did not explode, the impact has left the hospital in darkness, further straining already limited emergency and medical services.
At the same time, the humanitarian burden in the area continues to grow. Governor Ali said the refugee population had risen sharply and was estimated at about 60,000 as of this morning, with numbers still increasing. He also noted that local residents on the Kenyan side are now being displaced from border areas in search of safety, creating a dual crisis of Ethiopian refugees and Kenyan internally displaced persons.
“This means we are now dealing with two sets of problems,” the Governor said, pointing to the mounting pressure on local resources and response systems.
Governor Ali said support mobilized so far by various partners has not matched the scale of need on the ground. He highlighted severe shortages of non-food items, including blankets, medicines and mosquito nets, even as reports emerge of a possible measles outbreak among affected populations.
He noted that in the first week of the emergency, the County Government of Marsabit, working together with the Kenya Red Cross, supplied medicines and other essential drugs to affected people. However, he warned that these medical supplies are now running out because of the overwhelming number of people in need.
The Governor emphasized that the crisis has grown beyond the capacity of the county government alone and now requires urgent intervention from more humanitarian agencies and national partners.
He thanked Ms. Betty Ka for visiting Marsabit and for the continued engagement of the World Food Programme at a time when the county is facing one of its most difficult humanitarian situations in recent memory.
Marsabit County Government continues to appeal for urgent humanitarian assistance and coordinated intervention to protect lives, restore essential services and support both displaced local families and the growing refugee population in Moyale.
