Changara residents fault leaders call for peace over simmering boundary dispute

Residents of Changara Division in Teso North subcounty, Busia county, have rejected calls for peace from their leaders, escalating tensions over a long-running boundary dispute.

The standoff came after Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah, Teso North MP Oku Kaunya and Woman Representative Catherine Omanyo issued a joint appeal urging calm as Busia and Bungoma counties engage national institutions over the boundary question.

The leaders had cautioned that rising political rhetoric risked destabilising long-standing coexistence between communities in the two counties and called for restraint as formal processes take shape.

However, in response read by Cleophas Okisai, residents dismissed the appeal, saying it amounted to ignoring their concerns rather than resolving them.

“Peace without answers to nagging questions is surrender,” Okisai said, accusing the leaders of failing to address what he termed a “wound” affecting the community.

Residents said the statement from their leaders did not provide evidence of any concrete action taken to resolve the dispute over Changara’s administrative status, which has remained unresolved for years.

They now want the leaders to provide official correspondence showing efforts made to compel the Ministry of Lands and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to release land records and clarify ownership documents for Changara location.

They also demanded details on the exact boundary beacons between Busia and Bungoma counties, GPS coordinates of affected villages, and the date of the last official boundary survey conducted by the IEBC.

“Peace is the fruit of justice. You cannot harvest peace where you have not planted truth,” Okisai said, adding that the leaders’ statement amounted to an “abdication of duty”.

The residents further sought clarification on any action taken by Parliament regarding alleged interference in the matter by Sirisia MP John Waluke, who has previously claimed that Changara belongs to Bungoma county.

Waluke, who reignited the controversy earlier this year, has insisted that Changara should be administratively transferred to Bungoma and has threatened legal action to pursue the matter.

His remarks in February sparked renewed debate, deepening divisions among residents and leaders across the border region.

Despite the political tensions, the dispute over Changara has deep historical roots. Oral accounts from elders trace its origins to early 19th-century reconciliation efforts between the Bukusu and Teso communities.

According to community elder Samson Olubayi, 94, the conflict was symbolically ended through a ritual involving the sharing of raw dog meat at Mwiala wa Mango near present-day Malakisi in Bungoma county.

Olubayi, who served as Teso North chief for more than four decades, said the ritual marked a turning point from conflict to coexistence.

“It was after this dog ritual that the two communities started intermarrying, doing business together and building markets,” he recalled.

Olubayi explained that the act symbolised lasting peace, as both communities consumed something they would never eat again, sealing a commitment to unity and reconciliation.

Today, however, that historic understanding is being tested by modern administrative disputes, with residents insisting that historical peace agreements cannot replace formal boundary clarity.

Community members argue that unresolved questions over land demarcation risk undoing decades of coexistence, even as leaders call for calm to prevent escalation.

As the standoff continues, both sides remain entrenched, with residents demanding documentation and leaders urging patience as government institutions handle the matter.