A 30-man peace team has been established to find a lasting solution to the perennial skirmishes along the Nandi-Kakamega border.
The team comprises elders – 15 from Malava (Kakamega) and a similar number from Mosop (Nandi).
Nandi county commissioner Kutswa Olaka said the team will draw a roadmap to end violence triggered by petty issues.
Olaka, who spoke in his Kapsabet office, said top of the agenda is the disputed boundary along the North Nandi escarpment where both communities claim ownership.
“This is a historical dispute that the government wants the elders to address and probably identify troublemakers who engage in criminal activities that threaten co-existence of the communities,” Olaka said.
He said he had met with his Kakamega counterpart Pauline Kola and was optimistic that a permanent solution would be found to end future border rows, which frequently end in death.
Olaka further cautioned politicians against inciting residents, saying if trouble erupted, they would not be on the frontline.
But Mosop MP Vincent Tuwei questioned why the police officer who killed two people in his constituency had not been arrested or charged.
Kapsabet ACK diocese head Bishop Paul Korir condemned the murders of Boniface Kiprotich and Kevin Kipchumba by the police officer.
“I know there could be plans for a cover-up of the killing, the female officer is known, and we expect nothing other than justice. Her arraignment is the least we expect,” Korir said.
He spoke in Kapsabet after visiting the families of the victims in Katanin village in Mosop.
Edited by A.N