‘My job is digging this soil to have money and send my children to school’, says Mr. Dumbwe Ralo of the Junda village. He adds that part of his earnings go to the local police to ensure that his activities are not halted.

Mr. Abdallah Aubakala is involved in this business as one of the Mombasa sand suppliers. He says: ‘This soil is good for construction despite the fact that it destroys the environment, but we don't have an alternative because in Mombasa there is no sand’.

The most worrying is that locals and the police seem enjoy the situation. A plot of land of a few square meters cost about Ksh 500, and many are leasing their land. A trailer-full sand cost Ksh 1,500 and the intermediaries sell it between Ksh 3,000 and 5,000 in Mombasa.