- More than 1,000 families of squatters have been claiming ownership of part of the land popularly known as Kiplombe Nine Farms.
- There have been recurrent violent clashes between KDF officers and the squatters leading to several death in the past.
Image: BY MATHEWS NDANYI
Defence CS Aden Duale has intervened to help resolve a long-running row over ownership of more than 5,000 acres of land occupied by KDF at Moi barracks in Eldoret.
More than 1,000 families of squatters have been claiming ownership of part of the land popularly known as Kiplombe Nine Farms. There have been recurrent violent clashes between KDF officers and the squatters leading to deaths in the past.
Duale met with senior officials from the Lands ministry, Uasin Gishu county and those from the National Lands Commission (NLC) to resolve the stalemate over encroachment on the land where the Kenya Ordnance Factories Corporation and KDF Recruits Training College are located.
In the meeting held at the Defence headquarters, Nairobi, Duale noted that the encroachment by squatters is a historical problem that has spanned for decades and needs a lasting solution.
He said the ministry would provide alternative land to relocate residents that have occupied critical areas in close proximity to the military installations and the bullet factory.
KDF has been insisting that the squatters must be relocated for safety reasons. CS Duale acknowledged the work done by a technical committee tasked with finding viable recommendations. He said the committee should be reconstituted to involve all stakeholders and the community in the area.
He affirmed that the KDF intends to remain in good relations with the local community to enable them to discharge their core mandate of defending and protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kenya.
“We are requesting the community not to have a hard stance when told to move to other areas. There are errors committed in the past while allocating the land which led to encroachment, but we now want to find a permanent solution,” Duale said.
He also said there are plans to expand the factory which is hampered by the presence of squatters, adding that there was no need for military-civilian disputes in the area.
The CS extended the term of the technical committee and expanded its membership to include officials from the county government, NLC, Attorney General, County Commissioner and Turbo MP.
He directed the PS for Lands Nixon Korir who was present during the meeting, to chair the committee to improve the document on the mechanisms of relocating the squatters.
The committee is set to meet the CS in a month’s time to report on the progress and the recommendations.
Present during the meeting were Defence PS Patrick Mariru, Vice Chief of Defence Forces Lieutenant General Francis Ogolla and the Assistant Chief of Defence Forces in charge of Personnel and Logistics Major General Muthuri Kiugu.
Others were Uasin Gichu Governor Jonathan Bii, Senator Jackson Mandago, Turbo MP Janet Sitienei, and NLC chairperson Gershom Otachi among others.
“We are happy that the CS has taken up the matter seriously with the view to resolve the land dispute that has existed for so long leading to loss of lives,” Bii said.
-Edited by SKanyara