More than 1,000 squatters have pledged to fight on after their failed attempt last week to take over part of Mark Too’s 24,000 acres land in Eldoret.
The squatters are demanding part of the land after they won a case against Too’s family over ownership. Too is deceased.
The land is near Eldoret International Airport. On Thursday last week, armed police officers stormed the agricultural land and arrested a surveyor who was carrying out subdivision of the land for squatters.
Chairman of the squatters group Benjamin Rono said they stormed the land following a High Court ruling despite legal approval to hire a surveyor to map out the land.
Rono said the police should provide them with security to enforce the court order allowing takeover of the land.
Too's family has insisted the matter is still in court after they appealed against the High Court order.
Rono condemned the police action, claiming the security teams had sided with Too’s family despite the court order.
"It's regrettable for the police to disobey court orders which we served to them. They should help to enforce courts orders and not oppress poor squatters,"Cherono said.
He said they served the OCS, OCPD and county police commander with the court orders and requested security to enforce them.
When reached for comment, Uasin Gishu county police commander Ayub Gitomga said police had not been issued with orders to help the squatters take over the land.
Too, who was popularly known as 'bwana dawa' during the Kanu regime, died on December 31, 2016, and was buried on part of the land that is not claimed by the squatters.
The High Court ruling last year awarded the squatters 24,000 acres while, Too’s family retained only 67 acres of the land. More than 600 squatters had turned up for the subdivision last Thursday and expressed anger after police stopped the surveying.
Police boss Gitonga said the court order did not indicate that officers were to provide security for survey of the vast land, as the squatters claimed.
“We cannot as officers enforce non-existent orders. However, it is our duty to protect the lives and property of all Kenyans,”Gitonga said.
“The action by the squatters was illegal and we will not allow them to invade the land without having the necessary orders," he said.
(Edited by V. Graham)
