Nyamira County Commissioner Josephine Onunga and her Bomet counterpart Bernard Leparmaria have appointed a 16-member technical committee that will be mandated to solve perennial conflict along Sotik-Borabu constituencies among area communities.
The committee comprising of 12 elders (six from each county), two members of clergy, and two diplomatic professionals will report directly to the two county commissioners by submitting their findings for implementation.
Onunga said they opted to exclude politicians from the matter to avoid unnecessary politicising of the matter.
“We have agreed to constitute a 16 technical committee which we are unveiling today. I would like to urge locals to work with members so that we get to the depth of the perennial crisis. We opted to exclude politicians because this is not a political exercise but we may recall them when necessary,” she said during the unveiling of the team at Chepilat on Wednesday.
Mr Leparmaria urged security officers to remain vigil till an amicable solution is reached by the technical committee in two months’ time.
“We are sure that two months are enough for us to try and unite area residents by also coming up with real issues that need to be addressed to combat the animosity between the two communities (Abagusii and Kipsigis). Police officers will remain in charge meanwhile as we seek the lasting solution,” he said.
The committee will be chaired by Mr Felix Barmaasai, a former lecturer at University of Nairobi.
This comes after an ugly scenario last week that saw houses torched at Riontonyi area which a number of eye-witnesses associated with cattle rustling among the two communities.