Service delivery at risk in Kisii, Nyamira over boundary row
By Evans.Nyakundi, June 26, 2023
The issue of the boundary dispute between Nyamira and Kisii counties especially touching on the location of Keroka Town threatens to overshadow the delivery of devolved services in the affected areas.
The bone of contention revolves around collection of taxes and responsibility for provision of service to residents by the two county governments in the disputed areas.
The conflict which started immediately after advent of devolution in 2013, can be traced to 1989 when Nyamira was curved out of Kisii and became a district under the Moi regime.
It is the Moi districts that became counties under the 2010 Constitution.
The Nyamira and Kisii county boundary dispute spark out in 2019 during the reigns of governors, the late John Nyagarama (Nyamira) and James Ongwae (Kisii) who were both serving their second terms.
The battle over revenue collection started in the fast growing Keroka town before escalating to other markets on the border between the units.
The other disputed areas are the Kisii Agricultural Training centre (KATC), Kenya Agricultural Research Institute(KARI), parts of Getare and Jogoo on the outskirts Kisii town and parts of Ting’a which borders West Mugirango constituency .
To address the revenue collection crisis governor Ongwae and the late Nyagarama set up a committee to map out areas in the two counties and respective units responsible for tax collection, especially in Keroka.
However, revenue collectors from Kisii county refused to honour the agreement forcing the political leadership of Nyamira county to seek the intervention of the court accusing Kisii county officials of trespass.
Before the matter landed in court Nyamira governor Amos Nyaribo met his Kisii counterpart Simba Arati (pictured) several times to unlock the dispute but no amicable solution could be reached .
After a sharp disagreement, Nyaribo vowed that he could not allow even an inch of his county to be axed to Kisii with Arati also taking a similar stance.
After the disagreement of the two leaders members of Nyamira county assembly led Rigoma ward MCA Gisesa Nyambega moved to court seeking direction.