Busia and Uganda security chiefs held a five-hour meeting where a temporary truce was reached concerning the on-going cross-border land dispute between residents of Mayenje in Kenya and Buyengo in Uganda.
Speaking outside the Busia Immigration Offices, Busia County Commissioner John Chelimo said the two communities have been fighting over the swampy area especially during the dry season with each claiming ownership.
Resident District Commissioner Busia-Uganda, Hussein Kato Matanda said the two countries will send surveyors to establish a clear boundary between Kenya and Uganda to end the raging conflict between the two border communities.
“We shall also appoint a local committee of elders from the neighbouring communities to guide the technical teams to find a lasting solution to the conflict,” he said.
The Kenyan local community elders have on several occasions raised the matter claiming that Ugandan residents have encroached on the Kenyan boundary. They have put temporary structures on our land,” said an elder who sort anonymity.
Busia Deputy Governor Kizito Wangalwa said the use of the Mayenje catchment area during the dry season was causing disquiet among residents. “We should respect the flow of the river.”
Wangalwa advised residents along the common border to use designated routes and avoid porous border lines which are prone to illegal trade and human trafficking.
Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong attended the meeting briefly before excusing himself to attend to other matters.
The security team later toured the disputed boundary. They urged the residents to co-exist together as the matter is being handled by the two countries.