Nandi County Government is set to present a petition to the National Lands Commission (NLC) to adjust the border with Kisumu county.
In the petition which is backed by Governor Stephen Sang, the Nandi community is seeking to have towns and centres around Chemelil, Muhoroni, Miwani, Kibigori, Kibos, Koru and Kopere moved to the county.
The community wants the border revised to the Nyando River which they claim served as ‘the natural border before the Nandi were displaced by the white settler.’
"The Nandi were forcefully evicted from their ancestral homes in Chemelil, Muhoroni, Miwani, Kibigori, Kibos, Koru and Kopere by white settler," reads the petition in part.
Earlier in May, Governor Sang gave notice that they would file the petition having hired lawyers Jane Masaa and Henry Keneito citing it as a means to correct historical injustices against the Nandi community.
[caption caption="Governor Stephen Sang"]
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He accused the now-defunct Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission of failing to adequately address the issue.
"We hope they will investigate our petition to review the border with an open mind. The county’s aim is to end the constant clashes along Nandi/Kisumu border,” he explained.
In response, Kisumu County Director of Communications Aloice Ager stated that there was a hidden political agenda in the petition.
"We have not been notified of the petition, but if it is true, it proves that the constant clashes along Kisumu-Nandi border could be politically instigated with the aim of seizing land and properties along the border.
"The border issue is resource-based, with an intent to take control of key industries, especially along the sugar belt. Kisumu County has proof of its people who lived on the borderline before their expulsion by the colonialists. We have families who are ready to prove that these were their original lands," said Ager.
"Kisumu is under siege. Even Kericho is claiming that Sondu Town is theirs. We have maps to show where the beacons lie," he conveyed.
Watch the video courtesy of KTNNews:
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