Community leaders accuse the government of establishing police posts wherever there are land-related insecurity issues. They say three posts have been established.
Communities living in and around the Mau Forest Complex yesterday urged the government to resolve land grievances through dialogue, instead of using police.
At a meeting in Nakuru town, the community leaders accused the government of establishing police posts wherever there were land-related insecurity issues. Ogiek Council of Elders chairman Joseph Towett said the government should engage the communities to resolve land issues through dialogue anchored in law with clear mandates and timelines.
He said the government has established three police posts in areas of Nakuru county, which have land conflicts.
“We are making Kenya a police state. The government established police posts in Olposimoru following clashes that caused three deaths and many displacements. The same has been done at Kossovo in Naivasha and Ngongogeri in Njoro,” Towett said.
He said the National Land Commission is unable to solve land issues because it is improperly conceived and constituted. “The commission should be composed of people of good repute, high integrity and with knowledge on land issues,” Towett said.
He said the NLC should be a trustee of public land, play an advisory role to the government and research on land problems.
“Implementations should be left to the Lands ministry to end conflicts between the two departments. Corruption and political influence among NLC commissioners have also affected delivery,” Towett said.
He said issuing title deeds is aggravating land conflicts and urged the government to seek alternative ways of certifying land ownership.
“The government should audit disputed land, community trust land and ranches, computerise the data and keep the records before issuing title deeds,” Towett said.
President assured Forest evictees of land
In May last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta revisited the volatile Mau Forest issue and denied claims his administration reneged on a pre-election pledge to resettle evictees. He said evictees would get alternative land. Uhuru’s remarks came as Deputy President William Ruto was on the spot over alleged forcible eviction of people from Ol
posimoru Forest. The President said all the displaced people would be compensated.