The Keek-Onyokie House of Bishops on Sunday called for calm as a solution to the Kibiku land saga is being sought.
The multi-billion 2,800 prime land property that two warring groups are claiming belongs to the Keek-Onyokie Community Land Trust.
The 12 bishops drawn from various denominations in Kajiado county were led by their chairman Bishop Stephen Kesire.
In a statement read on behalf of all the members by Bishop Dr Peter Olonapa, they called on all cultural, professional, civic, political and church leaders to stop utterances that can spark violence among Keek-Onyokie people.
“As leaders of our various denominations, we have noticed disagreements and hostile statements being made by leaders, which can cause disharmony among our people,” Olonapa said.
They appealed to leaders from all quarters to desist from making roadside declarations that may injure the feelings of others, and even cause hunger and fights in the Keek-Onyokie community.
“We are calling for a community prayer meeting in Kibiku on January 12 and we want all the members of the trust land to be present,” Olonapa said.
The senior bishops from Kajiado requested to be allowed to arbitrate on the matter that has divided the leadership of the trust land in the middle.
“We are no-partisan and understand that there are two groups claiming leadership of this trust land. We will be fair to all,” Olonapa said.
They proposed that government forms a peace and resolution committee to look keenly into the Kibiku land issues, stating that the situation as it is now is “highly” volatile.
As the House of Bishops is making attempts to unite the community, already the National Land Commission chairman Gerishom Otachi has written to Governor Joseph Lenku and the Lands CS for a meeting aimed at uniting the two warring groups.
The groups are led by Moses Monik and Moses Parantai. Monik claims he was elected as chairman of the trust by the community, while Parantai has the mother title of the 2,800 acres.
Parantai also says he was elected chair of the Keek-Onyokie trust land.
In the mix of this land saga are elected leaders, who have taken sides. The land in Kibiku is now selling at Sh20 million per acre.
One of the battling groups has accused the other of subdividing the said land and selling it to non-Maasai.
The group being accused has since denied generating a list of people, containing the alleged new beneficiaries of the Kibiku community land property.
But with Lenku and Otachi uniting to end the year-long saga, the community members are optimistic the issues will be resolved.
