Mandera County has suspended all quarry operations indefinitely after two non-local workers were abducted by suspected Al Shabaab militants in Shimbir Fatuma, in a move aimed at protecting lives as authorities continue efforts to trace the missing men.

The two workers, Martin Musyoki from Nyeri and John Kambua from Sagana, were kidnapped on Wednesday by four armed men believed to be militants. The incident occurred around 11 am as they travelled with six others in a truck headed to Chachabole quarry, which is owned by Ibrahim Edinow Maalim.

The truck, driven by Sadiqow Muqtar Gedi and carrying eight people in total, was stopped by the gunmen who then separated the passengers. Musyoki and Kambua were singled out and taken away, while the others managed to escape into a nearby thicket. Their whereabouts remain unknown.

Mandera County Commissioner Henry Ochako confirmed the closure of all quarry sites following the incident. County Criminal Investigations Officer Pius Gitari said a search operation is ongoing to rescue the two.

The Mandera County Security Committee has ordered that no quarry operations will resume until new security arrangements are made.

Quarry owners will now be required to guarantee the safety of their workers, both on site and at their places of residence, before operations can continue.

The abduction happened just days after the arrest of three suspects linked to the smuggling of ammunition from Somalia into Kenya. Among those arrested were Abdihakim Muhumed Mahamed, also known as Bench, and Abdi Olow Abdi, alias Abei, who is 32 years old. The two are said to have been buying and distributing bullets within the country.

Police said the arrests were made after a suspect was intercepted at Bulla Hawa near the Kenya-Somalia border with bullets hidden in a 20-litre jerrican. He allegedly planned to deliver them to Muhumed and Olow. Their mobile phones have been handed over to the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit for forensic analysis.

Authorities are now searching for another suspect believed to be operating in Nairobi, where some of the smuggled bullets are thought to have been delivered. Officers believe the group is part of a broader network responsible for distributing illegal ammunition in Kenya.

“Some of the bullets are used for carrying out attacks in quarries as well as fanning tribal conflicts in the region,” Gitari said.

In recent years, Al Shabaab militants have repeatedly targeted quarry workers in Mandera, especially non-locals, either killing or abducting them in planned attacks.