- Church leaders and elders are calling for dialogue to end renewed tensions along the volatile border.
- Teachers want security restored before Third Term reopening, with parents increasingly concerned about their children’s safety.
- Residents want authorities to resolve persistent boundary and cattle-rustling disputes that have repeatedly disrupted neighbouring communities.
Church leaders, elders and residents have made a passionate plea for an immediate ceasefire along the Kisii–Transmara border following weeks of tension caused by disagreements over boundaries.
The call was made on Tuesday during the ongoing Keragia SDA Camp Meeting. Thousands of worshippers from Kisii and Narok counties had gathered for prayers, but the message from the pulpit turned to peace.
Speakers told the congregation that the border dispute has already “made arrows, swords and clubs blossom” in the area. They said what started as arguments over land and boundary beacons has grown into threats, retaliatory attacks and fear among families living along the disputed line.
“When arrows, swords and clubs blossom, it is not just one person who is hurt,” one elder told the meeting. “A whole generation bleeds. Children stop going to school. Mothers cannot farm. And what should have bloomed — our unity, our markets, our children’s future — is destroyed.”
A survey by Education News noted that areas around Kiango, Nyabitunwa Market and Nyamaiya had turned volatile following clashes between the conflicting communities. Markets have been closed early, movement restricted and families displaced from their farms.
Teachers seek security ahead of reopening
Teachers in the affected zones have appealed for quick pacification of the area. They said they need assurance of security to enable peaceful reopening of schools for the Third Term. Many schools remain on edge, with parents reluctant to send children back until calm returns.
Kenyenya Sub-County Commissioner William Kibet assured residents that peace will return soon. He said elders from both sides are working together to identify cattle rustlers who are a major cause of the unrest and bring them to book.
“We will not allow criminals to hide behind community differences,” Kibet said. “The government is working with elders and security agencies to restore order so that learning and business can resume normally.”
The broader security concerns along the Kisii–Transmara border are well documented. Fresh clashes in Transmara earlier this month left one person dead and several others injured, while authorities launched investigations and security operations.
Church leaders push for dialogue
Church leaders led prayers for peace and asked both county governments to urgently sit down with the National Land Commission and the Office of the Surveyor General. They want the disputed boundary clearly marked and respected by all parties.
The camp meeting resolved to send a joint delegation of SDA church leaders, elders and women representatives to the County Commissioners of Kisii and Narok. The team will request a ceasefire, confiscation of crude weapons and immediate dialogue to prevent further bloodshed.
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“We are calling for the clubs to be dropped and the swords to be sheathed,” a pastor said. “Let dialogue blossom instead of arrows. Our people on both sides are related by marriage, business and faith. We cannot afford to turn brother against brother.”
By Enock Okong’o
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