- North Imenti MP Dawood said the elders in the two counties that are commonly referred as the larger Meru can help find a lasting solution.
- The legislator said the report hasn’t been used up to date despite the conflict recurring.
Image: DENNIS DIBONDO
North Imenti MP Rahim Dawood has urged Njuri Nceke to resolve the boundary dispute between Meru and Tharaka Nithi counties.
Dawood, who spoke to the Star in his office on Monday, said the elders in the two counties that are commonly referred as the larger Meru can help find a lasting solution.
Last week there was tension in the boundary in Tharaka and South Imenti constituencies.
Mitunguu MCA said one of his projects, a dispensary in the ward, had been destroyed by unknown people.
Njuri Nceke secretary of operations Francis Murangiri urged residents to remain calm and avoid verbally and physically engaging each other. He was speaking in a vernacular TV station, where he said all Merus are one, from Thuci River up to Timau.
"They should love one another. We were one people, these boundaries were done by colonialists," Murangiri said.
Dawood now wants the government to act on the implementation of report. The MP urged Interior and Administration Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki to resolve the conflict.
He said Kindiki promised to resolve all border disputes using the law when he was being vetted by the National Assembly.
“Kindiki... is doing a good job in the Northern Frontier of fighting bandits but he should also not forget here at home,” Dawood said.
He said those who have title deeds and their farms have been invaded by squatters should be compensated by the government.
“Someone should not be removed from his land if he has a title deed irrespective of boundary,” he said.
Dawood said politicians from both sides have failed to resolve the border disputes and often fuel the conflict.
The MP said since 2013 he has brought the issue about six times to the National Assembly so that the border dispute can be resolved once and for all.
“We sat as leaders from both counties after the former Interior CS agreed nothing should be done in the buffer zones but activities are going on,” Dawood said.
He expressed optimism that Kindiki, who hails from Tharaka Nithi, will solve the issue as he is familiar with it.
The legislator urged residents of both counties to remain calm and avoid engaging each other as they are all Kenyans, adding that if all the leaders from both counties talk to President William Ruto, the issue could be resolved once and for all.
Dawood urged Azimio leader Raila Odinga to stop his demos as they are not helping the country. He said for now the country is going through a hard economic time and the government needs to be given time to work for the people.
“We have so many problems now as a country, we are facing drought and prices of commodities across the country have gone up and the demonstrations will only pull off investors from Kenya,” the MP said, adding that the government hasn’t even completed one year, or even done its own budget.
Dawood said there are plans by the Kenya Kwanza administration to lower the cost of living in the country, adding that he will not condone demonstrations in any part of Meru town or North Imenti constituency.
The legislator said former Treasury CS Ukur Yattani should be held accountable if he misappropriated funds when he was CS.
“The revelation by Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang'o that she was pressurised to sign documents is not viable. How was she pressurised?” Dawood said.
The lawmaker said under the Transport docket on August 8 last year, Sh9 billion was paid for roads under section 223 when James Macharia was the Transport CS.
“How was it paid and we were going for polls? Who was there to sign and everybody was in the electioneering period? This was a gimmick to defraud Kenyans. We need to know what exactly happened,” Dawood said.