Collapsed sand co-operatives in Magarini, Kilifi County should be revived in order to regulate the prices of sand.
The price of sand has dwindled in recent times, a situation causing uncertainties on the future of businesses depended on by many.
The residents from Timboni area where sand harvesting is being done claim so far, a 10-wheel truck buys sand at only Sh. 1500 down from Sh. 6750 during the time the cooperative was in operation.
One of the locals Kingi Kalangulo who is also an official of Timboni Loader’s Association said a trailer used to buy sand at Sh17,000 from the cooperative but now the same trailer bus sand at a price of Sh3,000.
The sand harvesting in Magarini begun in 1985 and the mineral is like Gold in the area. However, wrangles from past leadership opposed to change of guard have been attributed to the low prices.
The community formed a cooperative which was doing well and was building a complex but due to the challenges, it withered with the complex now stalled. Some vehicles belonging to the Magarini Cooperative society have also stalled.
Currently, reports indicate that the staff of the cooperative society has not been paid their salaries for months.
Speaking at Timboni area Kalangulo called on the County government of Kilifi to intervene and help address the problems of Magarini sand harvesting as the prices are going down daily.
“It has been difficult to do conservation in the quarries because there are no funds allocated for conserving the environment semitrailer comes here to buy sand at Sh1,500, while a trailer gets sand at Sh3,000 this has made it difficult for things to be done well,” he said.
When the cooperative society was in operation there were funds allocated for conservation of the quarries but since it collapsed land is left bare after the sand is harvested.
He said the first Magarini SACCO was established in 1992 under the name Kilifi Multi-purpose Cooperative society but collapsed in early 2000 and by then prices were good.
Kalangulo said there was a need for strict laws regulating price of sand which will ensure those who go against them faces disciplinary action as per the law.
In the sand business, there are three players including the landowners, loaders, and transporters who make the business possible.
Kalangulo said transporters benefit a lot because if they buy at Sh. 1500 to Sh. 3000, they end up selling the same sand at Sh. 25,000 to Sh. 30,000 while those with semi-trailer buy atSh.3000 and end up selling at between Sh. 55.000 to Sh. 56,000.
On the side of loaders, he said they used to be paid less but recently they increased the price of loading and those loadings get double the price of the landowners.
“Landowners do not want to unite that’s why it has been difficult to regulate the price of sand from the owners, some prefer to sell the land at a cheap price instead of having a well-regulated figure,” he said.
Kahindi Karisa Kalume a resident of Mjanaheri said when the SACCO was in operation, they used to make over Sh. 10 million per month because they were getting approximately Sh400,000 daily.
He said the Sacco was helping in creating job opportunities for locals, environmental issues, issuance of bursaries to locals.
Currently, he said there is no benefit from the sand since the Sacco collapsed and called on the county to help in reviving it.
Mr. Kalume said what caused the collapse of the Sacco were ex-officials who wanted to remain in office forever and after they were ousted, they formed splinter associations to fight the other regime.
“Currently we have over 40 staff of the Sacco who have not been paid for months and have families depending on them, we urge the county government to revive the Sacco so that those who have not been paid are paid,” he said.
He said the Sacco had land, the story building which stalled, two trucks, thousands of casuarina trees, eight sand quarries
According to Lazarus Nyiro who owns a quarry in Timboni area, the challenge of prices of sand has been there for years and it keeps on going up and down due to personal interests on the side of the landowners.
Mr. Nyiro said due to lack of price control people sell the way they want to satisfy their stomachs instead of having a properly moderated price.
“There are very many landowners and due to that some if they do not sell sand for one or two days, they reduce the price to attract transporters,” he said.
He said Magarini SACCO used to be very helpful as all members used to get money from the cooperative but since it collapsed the price has gone down.
He said there was a need for landowners to come together under the Sacco again and ensure there are laws barring a person from selling the sand at a throw-away price for personal gains.
Mr. Nyiro said there needs to be legislation from the county assembly so that it becomes law to help Magarini sand cooperative members sell at a regulated price or else face legal action.
He also urged the county government to intervene and help regulate the sand harvesting business for the benefit of the people.
Agunga Agunga one of the Main sand transporters said their vision was to empower the people of Magarini who have been selling sand for a long time and still languish in poverty.
He said it is strange that the locals despite selling the sand are unable to take their children to school because what they are given is peanuts.
“We can only help the community when we give them a better price for the product and I know this will not go down well with other transporters and everybody but the truth of the matter is we are there for one another we must find a way in which the community will get benefit from whatever they are selling to transporters,” he said.
Mr Agunga said the sand is like Gold to the people of Magarini because it is the only raw material they have and must take their children to school, eat and live a good life.
He said giving them Sh2,400 per truck was not prudent that’s why he decided to increase the amount to Sh6,000 per truck which is still not enough.
“I see a situation where we would sit down with like-minded people and increase the amount from Sh6,000 to Sh12,000, because if we increase the locals will be able to benefit from that amount,” he said.
