Nyamira targets Arati's residence as border tiff with Kisii escalates

A fresh border boundary dispute between Nyamira and Kisii is boiling, months apart after a successful attempt by Nyamira in repossessing Keroka town.

Nyamira now wants the vast lands where Agricultural Training College, and where a complex set up as the Kisii Governor's residence is, and currently where the assembly headquarters and the speaker's residence are being put up, to be reverted to its side.

Nyamira Assembly Speaker Enoch Okero has already directed Rigoma Ward MCA Nyambega Gisesa to lead a Committee of the entire County Assembly (All MCAs) in identifying more possible parcels of the county's land said to have been annexed to Kisii.

The dispute was sparked by a letter by Kisii County's Monyerero MCA Peter Otachi telling Nyamira to stop the “ongoing encroachment activities at Ting'a Market”.

The market together with the property set up there it falls within Kisii, Mr Otachi claimed in the letter dispatched last Wednesday to Nyamira.

In the letter, a copy of which was seen by AVDelta News, Mr Otachi says that Ting'a Market and Ting'a dispensary are located within Kisii County.

He spoke of an ambitious plot by Nyamira County to eat into the the contested market and enforcing revenue collection.

"According to records held at the survey's office, the Ting'a market is located on parcel 2 which squarely and entirely falls within Kisii County," part of the letter by Mr Otachi said.

Mr Otachi describes the latest activities by Nyamira County as elaborate encroachment scheme that, if it is allowed to go on, would disadvantage Kisii on revenue collection.

"The market and dispensery have been within your illegal occupation with residents deprived of development benefits which is itself is an onslaught on their fundamental rights as citizens," he argued.

The Monyerero MCA says Kisii County would not leave an inch of the Ward's land or any property to go to Nyamira.

"I demand that you withdraw with immediate effect, any of your staff, including but not limited to the revenue officers, from Tinga market," he stated in his petition dispatched last Wednesday to Nyamira Assembly.

Rattled, Nyamira County Assembly Speaker Okero ordered that a special committee comprising all the MCAs take up the matter.

He ordered that they will identify all pieces of its land under threat of occupation from Kisii.

"The Committee will look to all disputed parcels of land including Kisii Bottlers, Jogoo area, Kisii National Polytechnic, and the Kisii County Assembly Headquarters which are said to be within Nyamira County," says part of write up from the Nyamira County Assembly Speaker.

Kisii Bottlers, formerly a Coke franchise no longer produces coke products as it closed shop.

Kisii Central MCA Wilfred Monyenye has, however, fought back the claims by Nyamira County terming the latest attempt by Nyamira County as a dangerous play.

"As a former Kisii Mayor I am privy to the details that all the land they are claiming belongs to Kisii and let no one attempt those dirty gimmicks on us or our Governor Simba Arati," Mr Monyenye told journalists Thursday.

He also promised to take a motion to the assembly aimed at warding off the annexation attempt from Nyamira Ward Reps.

Kisii Governor is yet to respond to the matter.