Taita Taveta executive for Lands Mwandawiro Mghanga has reiterated the county government will not relent in its pursuit to reclaim the disputed Mtito Andei town from Makueni county.
Addressing journalists in Voi, Mwandawiro dismissed a report by Land Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney that the disputed town is in Makueni county.
“The CS has proved to be incompetent by misleading Kenyans instead of offering a lasting solution. We shall therefore intensify our efforts to win our case against Makueni,” the former Wundanyi MP said.
Since the inception of devolution, Taita Taveta county has not been collecting revenue in the two towns owing to the protracted boundary dispute with Makueni and Kwale counties. The county claims ownership of the two towns along the busy Mombasa/Nairobi Highway.
In a report to a joint Senate committee, Karoney said the protracted boundary row over Mtito Andei Town had been settled by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission in 2012 and it said the area lies in Makueni county.
She said a Legal Notice 14 of 2012 issued by IEBC clarified that the Mtito Andei location of Kibwezi constituency is in Makueni.
“Mtito Andei is at the far end southern-eastern part of Makueni County and the south-eastern boundary of the location forms part of the county boundary," she said.
Tsavo River, which is about 65 kilometres from Mtito Andei Town, has been at the centre of the administrative boundary row for a long time.
Taita Taveta leaders argue the border between the two counties is in Mtito Andei, therefore part of the town is its territory. But Makueni county claims the boundary is at Man Eaters near Tsavo River.
Karoney's comments have sparked reactions from the Taita Taveta county government and Mwandawiro blames the CS for fuelling possible ethnic clashes.
“We have coexisted well with people from other counties. The statement by the CS might escalate animosity between our people and those settling in Mtito Andei,” he said.
“For many years after Independence, we collected revenue at the town and that is a clear indication that it belongs to our county,” he added
Mwandawiro said the dispute had already been taken over by the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee and talks between the two counties were ongoing.
He warned political leaders against inciting residents over the dispute.
“Let us trust the Intergovernmental Relations committee for the sake of peaceful coexistence. The historical boundaries are clear and Taita Taveta County will eventually win the case,”
He said the dispute over administrative boundaries should be solved through dialogue to avert further tension.
Taita Taveta is not only at loggerheads with Makueni but also with Kwale county over Mackinnon Road Town.
(Edited by V. Graham)
