Residents hold demonstrations over raging border dispute

By KENAN MIRUKA

Kajiado County :Residents of Keroka Town staged a demonstration to protest over unresolved boundary row over its location.

The town has been at the centre of bitter boundary dispute between the Nyamira and Kisii counties, with each side claiming it.

Waving placards and carrying twigs, hundreds of residents held a procession along the main street, temporarily disrupting business in the busy urban centre.

Riding on boda bodas blaring horns, the demonstrators accused elected leaders in the region of failing to address the town’s boundary row leading to confusion in service delivery.

They cited poor garbage collection, lack of sanitary facilities and clogged drainage system as some of the main challenges the town faces as the impasse persists.

They threatened to boycott paying rates and taxes to the two counties until the issue is substantively resolved.

Police in anti-riot gear patrolled the streets, but allowed the demonstrators to continue with the protest which was largely peaceful.

“It is a shame that Keroka, one of the major revenue sources for the two counties, continues to suffocate in garbage. There is no designated dumping site and when it rains, the drainage system gets clogged exposing us to the threat of diseases,” said Alfred Onyambu, a clothes seller.

He wondered why neither of the two governors had visited the town to listen to their grievances.

Two months ago, the Transition Authority (TA) published an advisory on assessment and classification of urban areas and cities which indicated the town is located in Kisii County.

In June, Governors James Ongwae (Kisii) and John Nyagarama (Nyamira) resolved to form a team to oversee revenue collection and administration of Keroka and two other trading centres along the border as they sought a lasting solution to the stalemate.

“We want the governor to visit this area and explain to us what is hap