Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has strongly criticised Mandera Governor Mohammed Adan Khalif, following his recent breaking the silence on the dominance of Jubaland forces in the county.

Speaking during a church service at PCEA Ongata Rongai in Kajiado on Sunday, August 31, 2025, Gachagua faulted the governor for failing to raise the issue during a government empowerment programme held in Mandera, despite the presence of several officers from the goverment at the event.

Instead of addressing the matter, the governor, according to Gachagua, joined other leaders in castigating him, only to later make public statements on the same issue.

“Tumeona ya kwamba nchi yetu imevamiwa by troops from foreign countries; pale Mandera, maskari ya Jubaland wameingia Mandera; they have occupied more than half of the town,” Gachagua explained.

“Nimeona Governor wa Mandera ameamuka ati asaidiwe,” yet last weekend they were there; he was not speaking, the senator was not speaking, and even the MPs were not speaking,” Gachagua said.

 

According to Gachagua, other leaders from Mandera, including the senator and members of parliament, have been silent on the growing insecurity caused by the presence of Jubaland forces in the region, especially during the empowerment forum that was held in the county last week.

“Mimi nimechukua jukumu ya kutetea watu wa Mandera, watu wa North Eastern Kenya. It’s unacceptable that foreign forces can invade Kenya, and the mandate of the Kenya Defence Forces is to protect our territorial integrity, and it can’t be that foreign forces are in our land, but the government is quiet; the commander in chief is also quiet,” he added.

 He has now announced that he has decided to take up the responsibility of speaking for the people of Mandera and the larger North Eastern Kenya, insisting that it is unacceptable for foreign forces to operate inside Kenyan territory while the government remains silent.

He further urged the Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces to take immediate action by ordering an operation to flush out Jubaland troops from Kenyan soil. Gachagua stressed that protecting the country’s territorial integrity must remain a top priority and warned that continued silence by the national leadership would only expose residents to further insecurity.

Mandera Governor’s outburst

This comes two days after Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif issued a stern ultimatum to Jubbaland forces operating in his county, demanding their immediate withdrawal or they will face consequences.

Speaking at a public forum on August 29, 2025, Khalif warned that the presence of these troops threatens the stability and safety of the region.

“We want to call upon the president to intervene. Mandera cannot be turned into a battlefront for Somalia. We have no business with Somalis other than peace, and we have no right to chip into their internal affairs,” he said, emphasising the urgency of the situation.

Tensions in the Mandera triangle, bordering Somalia and Ethiopia, have escalated in recent weeks. Stray bullets, rockets, and live ordnance have crossed into Kenyan territory, endangering residents and damaging property.