Mandera


Mandera is the capital of Mandera County in the former North Eastern Province of Kenya. It is situated at around, near the borders with Somalia and Ethiopia.

Districts

Mandera was the capital of the former Mandera District.
As a whole, it used to constitute one district in previous administrations, which is now divided into six sub-counties and Constituencies; namely,
  1. Mandera East
  2. Mandera Central
  3. Mandera West
  4. Mandera North
  5. Banissa
  6. Elwak
  7. Lafey
The county occupies an area of 26,744 km2.
Among the notable incidents of Mandera history was the Rhamu Incident of the 1977 in which Somali military invaded Ethiopian defences from the Kenyan side. A force of 1500 Somali soldiers attacked a border post, and killed 30 Kenyan police officers and soldiers. The Somali army successfully crossed into the Sidamo Region of Ethiopia in the so called Ogaden War.

Demographics

Most of Mandera's inhabitants are ethnic Somali. Economic mainstay largely remains livestock trade.

Climate

Mandera's climate is categorized as arid under the Köppen climate classification. Temperatures tend to be hot throughout the year. Daily temperatures are typically above, while at night, they can fall to. Precipitation is extremely low, with the area receiving a minimal amount of rain. Droughts are not unusual, often resulting in significant loss of livestock in rural areas where pastoralism is common.

Notable people