Man killed as Meru, Isiolo counties border row escalates

MERU, KENYA: The border dispute between Meru and Isiolo counties took a different turn after a man was shot dead on Monday, in an attack that left six others nursing various injuries.

The man from the Meru side identified by authorities as Joseph Kinyua was reportedly killed as he and his colleagues harvested sand in the disputed area of Ndumuru, that Meru County maintains is in their county.

The survivors are admitted at the Nyambene Level 5 Hospital.

Meru County Commissioner Wilfred Nyangwanga called for calm, saying the Government was pursuing the killers whom he termed "bandits."

The killing came as Meru governor Peter Munya urged the national government and IEBC to move fast and mark the boundaries of the two counties, to avert frequent security scares.

Mr Munya and his senior staff were recently involved in a stand-off with mob from Isiolo that was protesting his action to remove cess collection road blocks erected by Isiolo in the Ndumuru area.

“Once again we are asking the government and IEBC to move with speed and mark the boundaries as earlier agreed during talks convened by Interior and Land ministries and both counties,” Munya said.

He added that the frequent attacks in the area had led to fatalities, injuries and theft of livestock.

“All these can be addressed if the government becomes more responsive to our concerns. We want this matter settled now,” said Munya.

The county commissioner said the government was aware of the challenge posed by the border dispute and was putting measures in place to settle it once and for all. “I want to appeal for calm as we are in the process of initiating talks on the boundary matter, to prevent these kinds of attack,” he said.

The Meru County Assembly’s Committee on Land, Economics and Physical Planning, condemned the killing and blamed it on the on-going feud over the border.

"It is a simple matter really, to mark the border. The government must treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves,” said the committee’s chairman, Julius Mbijjiwe. “The situation in the disputed region is tense and the national government must resolve this dispute without much further ado.”