Kitui, Tana River administrators urge residents to end border hostilities

Kitui, Tana River Administrators Urge Residents to End Border Hostilities
Top security and administrative officials from Kitui and Tana River counties have issued a joint appeal for peace, urging residents living along their shared border to end long-standing hostilities and embrace dialogue. The call was made during a high-level cross-border peace meeting aimed at addressing the recurrent conflicts, primarily driven by competition over water and pasture resources.
The meeting, which brought together County Commissioners, Deputy County Commissioners, and security teams from both regions, focused on the volatile areas of Kitui East and Tana River. For years, communities from these areas have clashed, leading to deaths, livestock theft, and the destruction of property. The administrators emphasized that continued violence only deepens poverty and suffering for all communities involved.
Kitui County Commissioner Erastus Mbui and his Tana River counterpart, Jeremiah Ole Tumbo, jointly chaired the forum, directing their officers to enhance collaborative patrols and intelligence sharing. We cannot develop our regions when our people are engaged in perpetual conflict. Let us use the existing government structures to resolve our differences, not violence, stated Commissioner Mbui. The leaders pledged to work with national agencies to fast-track the development of water pans and grazing plans to alleviate the resource-based friction.
The peace initiative has been welcomed by local elders and religious leaders from both sides, who pledged to champion the message of reconciliation within their communities. The joint administration’s effort marks a critical step towards de-escalating tensions and fostering a sustainable solution built on shared economic interests and peaceful coexistence, rather than cyclical retaliation.