• Under the umbrella of the Kisumo community, the elders said the Maseno town has always been in Kisumu.
• In a statement read by Kisumo community secretary Jotham Ondu they said Maseno has for decades been the headquarters of the former Maseno division.
Image: MAURICE ALAL
Elders from Kisumu have warned Vihiga leaders against inciteful utterances following the Maseno’s upgrade as a town.
Media reports had quoted some Vihiga leaders as saying that Kisumu should not have upgraded Maseno owing to decades-old boundary disputes.
But the Kisumu elders said the statements may cause tension and hatred between communities.
Under the umbrella of the Kisumo community, the elders on Thursday said the Maseno town has always been in Kisumu.
In a statement read by Kisumo community secretary Jotham Ondu they said Maseno has for decades been the headquarters of the former Maseno division. He said it sits in North West Kisumu ward.
Maseno resident Joram Ondere urged Parliament to establish an independent commission on county boundaries to address the matter and come up with a lasting solution.
Vihiga Senator George Khaniri said the County Boundaries Bill, 2017, that is currently before Parliament will help address what he termed a historic injustice to the people of Vihiga.
He asked the leadership from both counties to undertake public participation to get views of dwellers before proceeding with the upgrade plan.
“We ask our Luo and Luhya communities in Maseno to continue co-existing in peace to help build the town to greater heights of development,” Ondu said.
Ondu rejected falsehoods fronted by those he termed inciters and enemies of the development of Maseno.
“In 2016, there was a meeting in Maseno regarding the boundary dispute. A government surveyor namely Kirui produced a map no 1 of 1992, which defined the boundaries of Maseno Township,” he said.
“There is a beacon on the Equator and another at the Post Office. Using a GPS, placed on Post Office beacon, the defined boundary covers a full 4,500 feet to the West sunrise, and when placed on the Equator, it stretches 4,500 feet to the South of Kenya Forestry Research Institute.”
Ondu said these are fixed and permanent boundaries that cannot be changed by even petitioning Parliament.
In the early 1860s, he said the Luo community had already settled around Maseno and the famous colonial Chief Odera Ulalo’s eighth gate was at Ebukasami on the other side of Maseno.
He cited Luanda K’Otieno, (present Luanda market), significantly named after the home of an elderly Luo, Otiato of Gem as another landmark.
Ondu said in 1906, Rev John Jamieson Willis in consultation with the legendary paramount Chief Ogola established CMS Church and Maseno school, admitting the first six students Simon Ndinya, Mzee Onduso, Odindo, Owiti, and the late Senior chief Yonah Orao among others.
Last week, Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o unveiled Maseno as a town. It is one of the five urban centres that were upgraded in Kisumu county. Others that acquired the new status are Kombewa, Katito, Muhoroni and Ahero.
Nyong’o said the upgrade was strictly done in accordance with the Urban Areas and Cities Act. He urged Vihiga leaders to join in the celebration of the upgrade of Maseno and stop making utterance that may cause tension between the neighbouring communities.
Already, Sh40 million has been allocated by the county for the first phase of the improvement of Maseno town's water and sewerage, road and lighting infrastructure, solid waste management and tourism development.
Nyong'o urged leaders with grievances to pursue peaceful solutions.
He, however, said that “Maseno belongs to all of us” and what was needed is not disputes but synergies that will build the town into a robust cosmopolitan centre that offers jobs and business opportunities, regardless of ethnicity.
“It's unfortunate that some people want to fan fresh tension over the well-intended development of Maseno, which has been a uniting factor for residents of the two counties,” he said.
"We conducted elaborate public participation before we unveiled it."
He said the upgrade was also in line with the interest of residents, which is improved services from the county government.
"We acknowledge there has been some disputes over the boundaries of the town but this cannot stop the development of this fast-growing and important urban centre,” Nyong’o said.
It hosts hosts a national university, a forestry research centre, a national school, a hospital, a college and an agricultural training centre, among other important facilities.