The bullet factory in Eldoret is caught up in a land row with more than 1,000 squatters claiming to own a part of it.
The squatters are accusing KDF soldiers of frequent harassment.
Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago and the parliamentary Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations held a crisis meeting on Tuesday at the Kenya Ordnance Factory in Kamagut on the Eldoret-Kitale road.
Mandago accused the KDF officers managing the factory of “arrogance, disrespect and abuse of the human rights of the families of the squatters”.
The squatters have lived on the land next to the factory for many decades, but KDF has insisted it owns the more than 2,000 acres “The situation is very bad and must be resolved urgently,” Mandago said.
He accused some senior officers of disrespecting Deputy President William Ruto, whose home is near the area. “One of the senior officers has been telling residents to go away with their Ruto. The officers talk to government officers in this county with arrogance. They do not even respect the county commissioner, who is a key government representative,” Mandago said.
A key road used by the community near the factory has been closed, worsening the dispute.
The governor, who threatened to stage protests at the factory, also accused the soldiers of forcibly taking sheep and goats belonging to a squatter.
Fafi MP Barre Shill, who chaired the meeting, said they have collected views from residents and they would meet relevant government organs to resolve the dispute.
