Mandera

Mandera, called Mandheera in Somali, is the capital of Mandera County in the former North Eastern Province of Kenya, situated at about 3 degrees 55 minutes north and 41 degrees 50 minutes east near the borders with Somalia and Ethiopia. It was the capital of the former Mandera District; the county it now heads covers 26,744 square kilometres and is divided into six sub-counties and constituencies. Most inhabitants are ethnic Somali and the economic mainstay is the livestock trade. The climate is arid under the Koppen classification, with daytime temperatures typically above 30 degrees Celsius, very little rain and frequent droughts that cause losses of livestock. In 1977 the Rhamu Incident, in which Somali forces attacked a border post, occurred on the Kenyan side during the Ogaden War.