NAIROBI, Kenya, May 24, 2023– Senator Esther Okenyuri has sought a statement from the Senate Standing Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations concerning the Keroka boundary dispute between Kisii County and Nyamira County.
The Senator wants the Committee to Provide the cadastral maps and the exact Keroka boundary points between Kisii County an Nyamira County.
She also wants the Committee to State reasons for the ongoing Keroka boundary dispute between the two counties and the resulting chaos in Keroka Town, addressing claims of double taxation of traders in the town.
Read Also Court Orders IEBC, NLC to Appear in Court Over Keroka Boundary Dispute
Further ,the Committee should Undertake a visit to engage the affected communities in dialogue and conflict resolution.
consequently, the Committee to Outline effective interventions being undertaken by both levels of government towards ensuring a permanent resolution of the disputed boundary area.
The boundary dispute between Kisii and Nyamira County has been a source of tension for many years. The two counties share a common border, and there is disagreement over the exact location of the boundary.
This has led to conflict between the two counties, with each side claiming that the other is encroaching on its territory.
The dispute has also had a negative impact on the people living in the disputed area. Traders in Keroka Town, for example, have been caught in the crossfire, with both counties demanding that they pay taxes.
This has led to chaos and uncertainty, and has made it difficult for businesses to operate in the town.
In a related development, the High Court on May 24, 2023, declined to grant orders prayed for in an application filed by the Director Legal and Public Affairs of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) seeking to stop the Senate Standing Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations from summoning the IEBC Chairperson to appear before it to explain the boundary dispute between Kisii and Nyamira County.
The court found that the reasons given for the failure of the IEBC Chairperson to appear in court were very vague. The court also found that the Director’s statement that the IEBC Chairperson has constitutional engagements to attend to is contemptuous of the court.
The court ordered the IEBC Chairperson to appear before the Senate Committee on May 25, 2023, to explain the boundary dispute between Kisii and Nyamira County.
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