More than 50 sand trucks have been detained by irate members of the public in Kanyoonyoo, Kitui County.
The lorries, overloaded with sand belong to Kitui Sand Harvesting saccos led by former MCA Peter Kalungu.
Kalungu, who is on the EACC radar over illegal cess collection allegedly enjoys the protection of some cartels within the County Government of Kitui.
Tension is brewing at the Kanyoonyoo where members of the public have armed themselves with crude weapons.
KeNHA has dispatched its mobile axle load unit to the site to check whether the lorries are overloaded.
Cases of illegal sand harvesting in Kitui County despite various Court orders blocking the harvesting have been rampant in the County.
However, today residents chose to exercise the provisions of Article 1 of the Constitution that provide all sovereign power belongs to the people of Kenya by blocking over 50 sand trucks.
According to residents, illegal sand harvesting has left huge losses in Kitui County compared to the benefits accrued.
They lamented that hundreds of lorries from other counties have been harvesting sand at local rivers, leading to huge destruction of the environment, despite the former Kitui governor and other local leaders having recently declared sand harvesting in the county illegal.
In a ruling delivered by Justice O.A Angote in Machakos on November 27, 2020, in Environment and Land Petition E06 of 2020 in a case challenging illegal sand harvesting in Kitui, the Judge issued orders restraining Kitui County Government from licensing sand harvesting from Tiva River.
The illegal sand harvesting has continued despite all these Court orders blocking the exercise.
