The casket carrying the remains of Wilmot Mcharo at the Moi International Airport in Mombasa on September 17 / BRIAN OTIENOA family in Taita Taveta County on Tuesday buried their loved one after he was reportedly abducted and killed by suspected rebels in Ethiopia on September 15.
Wilmot Mcharo, 23, was a turnboy assisting a truck driver when they were reportedly attacked at Mayugeri, about 255km from Addis Ababa.
According to veteran truck driver Norman Mcharo, who is Wilmot’s uncle, the 23-year-old was the first born in their family and had worked in the transport sector for about three years.
He had recently started learning long-distance truck driving.
“They were delivering goods in some place in Ethiopia and they had already left Addis Ababa for their final destination. They were abducted and unfortunately they shot my nephew, whom I had personally introduced into this industry. I had worked with him as I showed him how to be a good long-distance truck driver,” Norman said.
The uncle said Wilmot’s driver is yet to be found.
Wilmot was buried in Mwatate, Taita Taveta County.
Kenya Long Distance Truck Drivers and Allied Workers Union Mombasa branch chairperson Roman Waema said the incident was the latest in a series of attacks on long-distance truck drivers.
Waema said truck drivers were increasingly concerned about robberies, killings and abductions along the Northern Corridor.
“This month alone, we have lost almost seven truck drivers, including those from other nationalities. We are tired of losing our colleagues and almost nothing is being done,” Waema said.
He also questioned a meeting called by security authorities on Tuesday to discuss the security concerns raised by truck drivers.
“The invite states that truck drivers should go and explain to the authorities what we are experiencing along the Northern Corridor.
“Why do we record statements in the OBs [occurrence books] if they already have records of what we experience on the roads?” Waema said.
The union chairman said security concerns could not be addressed through what he described as public relations exercises.
“If some of our colleagues go to that meeting it is their choice, but we as a union are not going. Let them act on the hundreds of OBs that have been recorded first,” Waema said.
The truck drivers have threatened to down their tools if the security situation along the Northern Corridor is not addressed.
“All we want is justice for Wilmot and all the other drivers that we have lost. We also want Wilmot’s driver partner returned safely because so far we have no idea where he is after the abduction,” Waema said.
He said truck drivers provide essential services and called on the governments of East African Community member states to assure them of their safety, warning that failure to address the concerns could lead to a regional strike.
“We want our security inside and outside the country. We only transport goods. We are not armed. We serve even the rebels because we deliver food and medicine to their countries, goods that we believe they also benefit from,” Waema said.
Waema said a strike would also affect other innocent people, a situation they did not want to see.
“But if push comes to shove, we will have no other choice. Our lives matter more than the goods we deliver.”
Waema also called on the Coast regional security apparatus to increase patrols along the Northern Corridor, saying the Mazeras area near Bonje had become a hotspot for insecurity.
He said trucks were frequently vandalised and goods stolen in the area.
“Not a day passes without an insecurity incident in that area. Soon, we are afraid, killings will also start in that place if they see nothing being done,” Waema said.
He said the most disturbing issue was that the vandals appeared to target trucks carrying goods that had ready markets.
He said the union had raised concerns about how criminals were able to identify trucks carrying high-value cargo.
Waema said truck drivers had been raising concerns about insecurity along the Northern Corridor for almost seven years.
The truck drivers also called on security personnel along the corridor to be better equipped, saying they sometimes complained about a lack of equipment and old vehicles when called to respond to incidents.
