County disputes: the perennial campaign issue in Taita Taveta

Disputes between counties are again set to take centre stage in this year's election campaigns as politicians pledge to resolve the rows.

Taita Taveta is feuding with Makueni, Kwale and Kajiado counties over Mtito Andei, Mackinnon Road and Rombo, respectively.

The issue has for decades been used by politicians to seek votes but it remains unresolved.

Last month, the high court directed the National Land Commission (NLC) to resolve the long-standing dispute between Taita Taveta and its neighbours.

The Environment and Land Court in Mombasa directed activist Okiya Omtatah to lodge a complaint over the disputes with the NLC.

Mr Omtatah had petitioned the court to compel the National Assembly and the Senate to appoint an independent commission to resolve the row.

Governor Granton Samboja’s administration had petitioned the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee (IGRTC) in 2020 over the dispute with Makueni, claiming that the county had rejected overtures for a dialogue.

Little progress has been made and the matter is still before a committee.

The same year, Mr Samboja met his Kwale counterpart Salim Mvurya over the Mackinnon Road border and appointed a team to help resolve the border row.

After a series of meetings, the team is yet to report back on its findings and recommend a way forward.

Last week, Governor Samboja took his campaigns to the disputed Mtito Andei, where he said his administration would start collecting taxes in the disputed town.

He directed Finance executive Andrew Kubo to open an office in the town to collect revenue.

"I thank the courts for issuing orders allowing us to collect revenue in Mtito Andei. I urge you to continue living in peace as we head to the election period," he said.

The court had directed the Taita Taveta County government to be the only authority, for now, to issue business permits and levy taxes in

Mtito Andei and Mackinnon Road towns. But it must deposit the money it collects in an interest-earning bank account opened jointly with Makueni and Kwale.

But speaking in Voi at a meeting of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), Governor Mvurya urged Mr Samboja to embrace amicable methods of resolving the dispute.

"We are one people and we don't have any problem with offering services to the people just because they come from the neighbouring county. We should stop acts of aggression towards each other," Mr Mvurya said.

"There is no need for a dispute. The row should not divide us but (we should) work together to resolve the issues that affect the coastal region."

Aspirants vying for the Senate and governor seats in Taita Taveta have promised to resolve the issue if they are elected.

Sagalla MCA Godwin Kilele said he would make the dispute his priority if he's elected senator in the August elections.

"We have been having a boundary dispute with our neighbours for many years. I will ensure that it is resolved. The dispute has made us not collect revenue from the towns so we must know where the boundaries lie," he said.

Meanwhile, Ms Anna Kina, who wants to unseat Senator Jones Mwaruma, blamed him for doing little to resolve the row.

"The current leadership has failed us in terms of resolving this problem that has been here for decades," she said.

Another aspirant, Mwandawiro Mghanga, has pushed to have some parts of the disputed areas declared part of the county.

During his tenure as Taita Taveta Lands executive, Mr Mghanga brokered a deal between the county and Kajiado to end the dispute over Rombo.

But this was short-lived after some residents moved to court to challenge the deal signed between Governor Samboja and his Kajiado counterpart Joseph Ole Lenku.

The residents claimed that part of Taita Taveta land had been ceded to the neighbouring county.

Some of the residents warned the politicians against using the boundary issues to seek votes.

Christopher Mnyasa, a Mackinnon Road resident, said they are suffering due to lack of services caused by the disputes.

"We are wondering what became of the talks between Kwale and Taita Taveta. Our leaders went silent, so we don't know whether the talks stalled or they resolved the matter," he said.

"Our town is choked with garbage because both counties don't want to take responsibility for the services that we need."

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