Row rages as leaders claim disputed land
What you need to know:
- Tsavo River, which is a few kilometres from Mtito Andei Town, has been at the centre of a row between the two counties for a long time
- Taita Taveta is not only at loggerheads with Makueni but also with Kwale County as well
A dispute over administrative boundary between Taita Taveta and Makueni counties is yet to be resolved.
Makueni County ruffled feathers when it erected a signage at Tsavo River on the Nairobi/Mombasa highway, showing that the area is its territory.
Tsavo River, which is a few kilometres from Mtito Andei Town, has been at the centre of a row between the two counties for a long time.
And Taita Taveta leaders argue that the border is in Mtito and therefore part of the town was its territory.
They condemned the move by Makueni, terming it an act of aggression. Voi MP Jones Mlolwa urged leaders from the area to act fast to resolve the dispute.
“There is a High Court ruling that states clearly where the boundary should be. It indicates that it is within Mtito Andei township. That order should be followed,” he said during a media briefing.
He said that county leaders were buckling at the knees instead of taking action to end the matter once and for all.
“As elected leaders, we are supposed to stand up for what is right. In my opinion, the sign board at Tsavo River should be pulled down. We should not be cowards as our people expect us to lead the way,” he said.
Taita Taveta is not only at loggerheads with Makueni but also with Kwale County as well. “It is as if these two counties have colluded to cause problems for us, yet we are not fighting back,” said Mr Mlolwa.
Two months ago, top county leaders including Taita Taveta Governor John Mruttu, Taita Taveta Senator Dan Mwazo, Andrew Mwadime (MP Mwatate), Thomas Mwadeghu (MP Wundanyi), Mlolwa, Woman representative Joyce Lay, together with Members of the County Assemblies held a public meeting at Mbele Primary School, that is being contested between Taita Taveta and Kwale counties.
“We agreed that Governor Mruttu meets his Kwale counterpart Salim Mvuyra. Unfortunately, that meeting did not take place,” said Mr Mlolwa.
Residents of Mackinon, which is on the border of Taveta and Kwale complain of how difficult it is to get important documents such as identification cards due to the confusion.
