Kaputiei community leaders have vowed to disobey all government orders calling on them to vacate Athi River’s disputed Sheep and Goats’ demonstration farm.
This comes only a day after the KDF on Wednesday evicted and took over 1,500 acres of the farmland on behalf of the Kenya Meat Commission.
The community led by Wilson Kisemei, Wilson Kirayian and William Kasio, accused President Uhuru Kenyatta, in particular, of taking the Kaputiei Maasai for a “ride” by dishing out their land to government corporations.
“This land has a court case, it has an injunction that was issued at Machakos court barring all kinds of activities until a case between us and the Kenya Wildlife Service is heard and determined,” Kisemei said.
The community sought court intervention after the President early this year handed over, through the ministry of lands, 2,000 acres of land to KWS for wildlife conservation purposes.
After the parcel—which the community claims is their ancestral land— was hived out, KDF while acting on behalf of KMC moved in on Wednesday to claim 500 acres from the same saying it was handed over to the meat commission by former President Daniel Moi in 1996.
The Defence Ministry on Wednesday said KWS have since surrendered 1,000 acres of what Uhuru gave them in February.
Kisemei, who is the community’s land group secretary, on Thursday said, “It has become apparent that this government does not respect court orders. We are staying put on this land until the last person standing is brought down by this system.”
“We are not going anywhere, let the Jubilee government come and do away with us here,” he added.
The process of taking over the land was executed with precision. The KDF, headed by Brigadier James Githaga on behalf of KMC, arrived at the land at 4.30am.
The move took the Kaputiei Maasai community by surprise when they woke up to find the KDF had even erected a tented camp to watch over the land.
In an interview, Brig Githaga said they will not use force to evict those who have encroached on what belongs to the government but will use laws.
“We cannot fight anyone who has encroached on government land. We will try to negotiate with them within the confines of the law. If they have genuine papers, it is ok, we shall recommend that they be compensated,” Githaga said.
He said the KMC commission has taken off and this demands that they acquire land for livestock lined up for slaughter.
Githaiga said Moi had in 1996 given KMC about 500 acres from the controversial land in Athi River.
“Recently, the Nairobi National Park in a mutual agreement gave KMC 1,000 acres from the 2,000 acres handed to them by Uhuru early in the year. We have now secured about 1,500 acres of land, and we are going for another 412 acres which are in the hands of squatters and people calling themselves Afya Sacco,” Githaga said.
He did not mention anything about the Kaputiei community who had laid claim on the land.
The KDF official said he is doing his duty as one of the caretaker officers appointed by the President and is not out to fight with civilians over land.
Casual workers on the site fencing the land were protected by armed policemen.
-Edited by SKanyara
