Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga has urged the government to turn to the 1963 boundary beacons as a lasting solution to the persistent and deadly clashes along county borders in Nyanza and the Rift Valley.
Speaking on Saturday in Nyakach during a funeral mass for 22 victims of the Kisumu–Kakamega highway crash, Odinga expressed deep concern over the recurrent conflicts that have claimed lives and left many injured.
“The boundaries between districts and provinces were drawn in 1963 under the Boundaries Commission, and the beacons are still there,” Odinga noted. “We want the government to send officers to locate them properly, and that should define the border.”
The ODM leader highlighted that frequent disputes involving Kisumu, Kericho, Nandi, Homa Bay, and Nyamira counties have often escalated into violent confrontations. In many cases, he said, residents cross into neighboring areas armed with crude weapons, sparking clashes that end in loss of life and displacement of families.
“All the time, there are clashes, and we lose lives. We don’t want to see innocent Kenyans killed because of boundaries,” he said, urging immediate government action.
Odinga stressed that the national government must act urgently to resolve the disputes and promote peaceful coexistence among the affected communities. He insisted that relying on the beacons set by the Boundaries Commission at independence would provide a clear, legally recognized framework to end arguments over county limits.
“We don’t want border disputes to continue causing unnecessary stress. We want peace between Kisumu and Kericho, Nandi and Kisumu, Homa Bay and Nyamira, and Nyamira and Kericho,” he said.
His remarks come amid rising concern over inter-county tensions that have disrupted livelihoods and fueled mistrust among neighboring communities. Leaders and peace advocates have long called for concrete steps to address the underlying causes of such conflicts, including competition over resources, grazing land, and political rivalries.
Meanwhile, Odinga also joined mourners in comforting families who lost their loved ones in the Kisumu–Kakamega highway tragedy, where 26 people died. Twenty-six survivors remain hospitalized at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital.
