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Police fire bullets, tear gas and demolish squatters' houses on Too estate

Lands court awarded land to squatters,family appealed, called police.

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by BY MATHEWS NDANYI

Realtime12 June 2022 - 08:30
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In Summary


• A team of police officers were deployed at the farm and used force. including firing live bullets in the air to scare away the squatters.

• The officers were deployed to the agricultural land, which has been disputed by landless families and the family of Too (deceased).

Squatters at the farm from whichthey were evicted by police on June 11

Police fired tear gas and live bullets on Saturday and demolished makeshift houses built by squatters on disputed land in Mark Too's estate.

Two people were injured as they fled in the violence near Eldoret. It was the third invasion of the 25,000 acres in about a month.

They were evicted when the family of the deceased legislator called police.

Police were deployed to the agricultural land, which has been the subject of a court case.

Led by their spokesman Benjamin Ronoh, the families said  the Lands and Environment court in Eldoret granted them ownership orders.

This was after they won a case arguing they had been allocated the land during the regime of former President Daniel Moi.

The family has appealed.

Squatters threw stones at police who were pulling down their houses.

Police reinforcements were called and they and used tear gas and bullets, forcing the squatter to flee.

"We will not relent in our bid to reclaim ownership of this land. This is where we call home and no amount of force will make us give up,” Mzee Stephen Tanui shouted.

Tanui appealed to the national government to intervene so  they can get justice.

“The officers who are supposed to help us enforce the court order have been compromised and are instead protecting those who are illegally occupying out land," Tanui said.

Tanui said more than 1,000 families had been living on the farm for more than four decades as squatters.

He said it was unfair for them to be displaced without being given an alternative place to settle.

The officers deployed from Langas and Kiambaa police stations declared the squatters trespassers on the disputed land.

“We have firm instructions not to allow anybody into this land and those who dare  go against the directive will face the full force of the law,” a police officer who led the operation said.

Uasin Gishu police commander Ayub Gitonga has said they had not been served with any orders to help the squatters take over the land.

“In the absence of such orders, we will carry out our mandate to enforce the law. It’s illegal for anyone to act against the law. Invasion of private property is illegal," Gitonga said.

(Edited by V. Graham)

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