A new boundary dispute is simmering between Meru and Tharaka-Nithi after Governor Muthomi Njuki their Meru counterparts ‘against touching the mountain’ – literally.
Governor Njuki accused his Meru counterpart of encroaching on his county’s section of Mt Kenya, targeting key tourists’ attractions in the UNESCO Heritage site and Africa’s second highest peak.
This is after Meru Deputy Governor Linda Kiome hosted a team from Magical Kenya for a hike from Kenya Wildlife Service Chogoria gate to Lake Ellis, all which are within the Meru County borders.
Chogoria MCA Franklin Mawira had protested that Meru leaders were out to grab Mt Kenya from Tharaka Nithi.
Mt Kenya is shared out among five counties – Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Embu, Kirinyaga and Nyeri – with their boundaries starting from the Batian peak.
Tourists access the mountain through three routes with the most popular being Chogoria and Naromoru.
“In Chogoria, we get a lot of benefits from Mt Kenya but there are people who want to take it away from us. We recently had intruders from Meru County flagging off programmes at Kinondoni. The people are now wondering whether the mountain has been grabbed. The governor should probe this matter so that our mountain is not encroached,” Mawira said.
While responding to the MCA, Governor Njuki warned Meru County government officials against claiming ownership of Lake Ellis and Kinondoni lodge near Chogoria gate.
“There will be trouble if Meru County government officials dare to enter any contracts purporting to own Kinondoni lodge and Lake Ellis. We know our boundaries and do not want any disputes. For the avoidance of doubt, let it be known that Kinondoni and Lake Ellis are squarely in Tharaka Nithi County,” Governor Njuki said.
The governor said while Meru and Tharaka Nithi are inhabited by one people, their boundaries are clear, and he cannot cede any part to the neighbor.
“There is no way Kinondoni lodge and Lake Ellis can be in Meru County. Kinondoni lodge was operated by Meru South County Council which was within Tharaka Nithi district. It is okay for your brother, who is less endowed, to bring his visitors to your house which is more decent and claim it is his. However, he should not dream of owning the house,” governor Njuki said.
Mr Njuki explained that Tharaka Nithi county boundary starts from the Batian peak of Mt Kenya and proceeds downstream by the course of Maara river.
“It can’t be that the Maara river is in Tharaka Nithi, but the KWS Chogoria gate is in Meru. Our boundaries are clear,” he said.
He claimed that the Meru deputy governor may have gone astray in the thick Mt Kenya forest and crossed the borders.
But the Meru deputy governor also said Lake Ellis and the KWS Chogoria gate ‘are squarely in Meru County’.
“I am surprised that the Tharaka Nithi governor is not aware that Lake Ellis is in Meru. We are fully aware of our borders. There is no dispute about that,” the deputy governor said.
During the hike on the mountain, Ms Kiome said the Meru County government is working closely with the Kenya Tourism Board to elevate the county’s tourism profile by promoting sites such as Lake Ellis.
This is not the first boundary dispute between Meru and Tharaka Nithi counties as the regions are currently embroiled in a tussle over areas bordering Tharaka constituency.
The boundary dispute, where Meru residents have challenged creation of administrative units in Tharaka Nithi citing overlap of boundaries, is set to be determined by a Meru Court on October 17, 2025.
