The Parliamentary Legal and Justice committee is set to meet Vihiga residents to resolve the Maseno boundary conflict pitting Vihiga and Kisumu counties.
Luanda MP Chris Omulele, in whose constituency the disputed boundary lies said National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has instructed the committee to tour Vihiga and get the petition from residents.
He said the team will camp at Ebusakami Secondary School from May 13-15, where residents will present their grievances.
The legislator said he opted to solve the Maseno boundary dispute through legal means to prevent conflict, adding that the National Assembly under Article 188 of the Constitution has the mandate to solve boundary conflicts.
“The committee is set to tour Vihiga county from May 13 to 15 to resolve the Maseno boundary conflict. This is a sensitive matter and we want to resolve it peacefully,” he said. The MP asked Vihiga residents to turn out in large numbers.
The border conflict began in May last year after Vihiga Governor Moses Akaranga accused Kisumu county of illegally collecting taxes from Maseno town which he said was within his county.
Akaranga had earlier formed a 10-member task force headed by Deputy Governor Caleb Amaswache and Bunyore Council of Elders chairman Edward Oware to investigate the issue.
Amaswache said Maseno residents have long fought to be included in Vihiga county, where they rightly belong and it is wrong for them to be classified as Kisumu county residents.
He said resolving the boundary dispute will help those residents who legally belong to Vihiga get services and vice versa.
Intermarriages
Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma, who had met Akaranga and deliberated on the issue promised to resolve the conflict amicably to maintain the cordial relationship between residents of the two counties.
“The residents intermarry, do business together and have exchanged culture. We should not allow any form of division among us,” he said, adding that police officers will be deployed at the border to prevent criminals who may take the advantage of the situation to disrupt security.
Western regional coordinator Samuel Kilele asked Vihiga residents to keep peace with their neighbours from Kisumu and focus on development.
He said Kenya has no time to entertain conflict and instead the country is focused on development. He asked Vihiga residents to embrace dialogue to resolve problems facing them instead of engaging in acts that breach peace.
The leaders spoke yesterday during the opening of new Luanda sub-county which was hived from Emuhaya sub-county.
Others present were Vihiga County Commissioner Ann Gakuria, Vihiga county police commander Sarah Duncan, his AP counterpart Elijah Odhiambo, among other guests.
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