Language conflict is commonly studied and understood as an outcome of contact between speakers of different languages. In this article, we explore language conflict in the conversations of speakers of a sole language – Kiswahili. We argue that language conflict can as well occur among speakers of the same language. Using sociolinguistic data collected ethnographically among ordinary speakers of Kiswahili at the Namanga border town in East Africa, we show that these conflicts arise as a result of issues such as (i) citizen mobility, (ii) existence of several varieties and labels, (iii) varying attitudes of people towards different varieties, and (iv) demonstrating linguistic power. Consequently, we demonstrate that contrary to the assumptions of many scholars of Kiswahili and others, the Namanga border town bares a perfect example of a space in East Africa where meaningful and informative studies relating to different sociolinguistic aspects of Kiswahili, such as contact and conflict can be undertaken.