Garissa Residents Seek Scrapping of Colonial Three-Mile Land Boundary with Tana River
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Residents of Garissa want the National Land Commission to use new historical land injustices regulations to abolish a colonial-era three-mile strip of land that was placed under the former Tana River district.
Calls to abolish the colonial-era three-mile land boundary between Garissa and Tana River counties dominated a public participation forum on proposed regulations governing historical land injustices in Kenya.
Residents attending the National Land Commission (NLC) public participation on the National Land Commission (Historical Land Injustices) Regulations, 2026, urged the commission to use the new framework to reopen the long-running dispute and address what they described as a historical wrong affecting communities living along the Tana River.
They want the disputed strip, which they argue was placed under the administrative control of the former Tana River district during the colonial period, restored to Garissa, where they say the affected communities have lived for generations since independence.
Resident Aden Bille questioned why the colonial arrangement remained after independence, arguing the government should have consulted local communities when it reorganised districts. Amina Issa urged the NLC not to allow the dispute to remain unresolved for generations, noting it concerned not only land ownership but also access to water, grazing areas, markets and public facilities along the river.
NLC commissioners at the forum acknowledged the three-mile strip issue had emerged prominently during consultations and indicated it could be revisited under the proposed regulations. Commissioner Daniel Muriungi said at least 60 schools and markets and five subcounties are involved, adding that once the regulations are adopted by Parliament the commission will be able to hear and determine the issues under the law.
The NLC public participation is part of a push to build a legal framework for resolving long-standing historical land grievances across Kenya, including disputes that have stalled because of limitations in the commission's original mandate.