Tension engulfed the border town of Keroka for the most part of Tuesday with residents from the Nyamira side of the town accusing their counterparts from Kisii of ‘forceful occupation’ of their territory.
According to a witness who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, trouble started when cleaners allied to Nyamira County government started cleaning the backstreets of the town before angry residents from the Kisii side disputed and ordered them out.
“We have been peaceful for some time now but things went got out of control when cleaners from Nyamira went to clean backstreets of the town,” said the witness.
“They met hostile reception from a number of people who claimed that they had overstepped their territory. This led to the tension with people from Nyamira side accusing those from Kisii of forceful occupation,” added the source.
However, the tension was calmed by Keroka OCPD Peterson Mailu who urged both sides to respect the rule of law, and vowed to apprehend residents who were out to sabotage peace in the region.
“The issue of the boundary is still under discussion between the two counties so it’s not proper to cause tension when there is an ongoing process to find a solution to the boundary dispute,” Mailu said.
“As security officers, we are not going to tolerate incidents of people igniting tension over a matter that is under investigation. The rule of law must be respected and those who think they can cause chaos should be equally ready to meet the wrath of the law,” he said.
Kisii and Nyamira counties are reportedly under discussion over the ownership of the town, with MCAs from the both counties reportedly visiting the town in recent weeks to reach an amicable solution.