One person injured, vehicle torched as 2,900-acre Kibiko land tussle turns violent

One person is nursing injuries in Kibiko, Kajiado County, while another family is counting losses after their vehicle was torched in retaliatory night attacks, as the 2,600-acre Keekonyokie land dispute took a violent turn.

The Wednesday night incidents have further heightened tensions in the greater Kibiko area.

On Thursday, the government deployed a heavy contingent of police officers to avert possible bloodshed, even as the rival factions stood their ground, insisting they would not vacate the land they had settled on.

The dispute saw both factions arm themselves, ready to repel each other, amid reports that the government has already distributed title deeds to one of the groups, requiring the other to start vacating.

“Wale watu wanaishi hapa hawana hiyo cheti. Na wale wako nayo, ukienda kuangalia ile cheti, mmewekelewa watu nane, watu tisa. Watu wanne kwa ploti moja ama shamba moja,” said a resident, Jerisha Naserian.

Another, John Ole Musei, lamented, “Na hiyo title imetolewa kinyume ya sheria kama ni title kwa hivyo kama watu ya area hii sababu tuna watu elfu mbili mia tatu, sisi ndio wenyeji wa area hii na tumeishi zaidi ya miaka thelathini na moja.”

To contain the escalating tensions that left one person injured in a retaliatory attack, the government has deployed heavy police contingents to the contested land, as rival factions brace for confrontation.

“We are pleading with those people in the Ministry of Lands who are subdividing this land and issuing titles to people who are unknown to us and unknown to the residents of Osopuko, please, cease and desist from doing that,” a lawyer to Osopuko residents, Thomas Mbugua, appealed.

Kajiado West DCC Lydia Munyi on her part said, “Ata kama tunatafuta kitu fulani, mimi nawaomba, nawasihi, tuweke usalama mbele. Usalama ndio unafanya uone mbele.”

Court documents trace the dispute back to 2014, spawning numerous suits and counterclaims of fraudulent subdivision and irregular allocations.

The fate of the vast Keekonyokie land remains in limbo, with Kibiko residents anxiously waiting for a decision that will determine who the legitimate owners are.

Last week, the Ministry of Lands defended itself against accusations of irregular dealings in the contested Kibiko land, insisting that all actions taken by its officers have been above board and guided by court rulings.

In a statement on Saturday, Lands and Physical Planning Principal Secretary Nixon Korir dismissed as “malicious and unfounded” claims linking senior officials to alleged illegal subdivision and title issuance on the 2,600-acre Keekonyokie Community Trust land in Ngong, Kajiado County.

The ministry maintained that court processes and legal requirements have guided every step taken in relation to the land, which has been at the centre of rival claims and community protests.

According to the Lands Department, the property – registered under Keekonyokie Community Trust since 2012 – has been tied up in multiple court cases since 2014, with successive court orders restraining any subdivision, transfer or disposal until hearings were concluded.

In March this year, the Kajiado Environment and Land Court ordered Moses Parantai, one of the rival trustees, to surrender the original title deed to the Chief Land Registrar within 72 hours.

In default, the court directed the issuance of a provisional certificate of title in the names of trustees led by Moses Monik. The ministry says it complied with that directive.