This archive report was first published on 5 June 2020.
Kenya's northern border with Ethiopia has become a major entry point for large hauls of bhang, widely grown in southern Ethiopia. According to The Standard, Moyale town, the largest trading centre near the border, stands out as the capital of contrabands, including the smuggling of Kenya's popular brand of bhang dubbed 'shashamanne'.
Multiple security sources in upper Eastern said dealers use peddlers to smuggle the brand into these centres in small batches using unofficial or unmanned routes, especially at night. In Moyale, Biashara Street and Heilu are major entry points from Ethiopia. Small vehicles, boda bodas, donkey carts, and humans are means of transport used to sneak in the cargo along the border.
From the centres, the bhang is transported to Nairobi using two routes – the Moyale-Nairobi highway via Marsabit and Isiolo, and the unofficial route, a cutline that runs from Funannyata in Sololo to Yamicha plains of Merti Sub-county in Isiolo. The smugglers, including top businessmen in the region, bribe security officials to allow their vehicles pass through nearly 12 police barriers before reaching Isiolo town.
However, since mid-March, majority of smugglers have been using other routes due to beefed-up security along the highway. These much longer routes – and characterised by rough terrain through unpoliced herding fields – handle cargo for majority of the dealers who cannot afford to use the highway.
Even with the closure of the Kenya-Ethiopia border, bhang from Ethiopia still finds its way into the country. In the last two weeks, three vehicles, which came through Merti, have been seized with the narcotics. Lately, the smugglers have resorted to using GK vehicles and up to 10 security officers are facing charges in courts over the offences.
According to Marsabit County Commissioner Evans Achoki, the State used the army based at Odha camp in Moyale to dig trenches along illegal entry points at Heilu and Biashara Street to check entry of people and contraband to and from Ethiopia.
