IDPs in Trans Nzoia claim powerful people tilling land Moi gave them

Detectives have been called upon to investigate claims that powerful people are tilling land meant for internally displaced persons in Trans Nzoia County.

The IDPs camping in Katikomor, West Pokot County, want the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to establish how tycoons and top government officials took over the land at the controversial Chepchoina settlement scheme in Trans Nzoia.

The squatters from the Pokot, Turkana and Luhya communities claimed they were allocated five acres of land each at the scheme – which is under the Agricultural Development Cooperation (ADC) – in 1994 and 1997 by former President Daniel arap Moi.

But they now claim the land has been taken away from them.

The squatters were evicted from the farm in March, in what they termed a scheme to allow well-connected individuals to take over their farms.

During a meeting attended by Kapenguria MP Samuel Moroto, the IDPs asked the government to resettle them at the scheme.

No eviction notice

Ms Leah Chepsera said they were not given any eviction notice and that their property and food were destroyed in the March evictions from a farm she said they had owned for 25 years.

“We wonder why we are being evicted from land that we have occupied for such a long time. It is wrong. We want proper investigations done concerning this problem. We have suffered and have been tortured for a long time,” said Ms Chepsera.

She said despite being told by the West Pokot security team to go back to their farms, they feared being attacked by unnamed people whom she said are now ploughing the land.

Another victim, Ms Ann Edung, accused area police officers of using excessive force to drive them out of their rightfully acquired parcels of land and called for their transfer.

“We are sleeping in the cold. We were attacked by police officers early in the morning and our property destroyed,” she said.

Police harassment

She claimed the police have been assaulting them with the butts of their guns, causing them a lot of pain and suffering.

“The Anti-Stock Theft Police Unit [ASTU] chased us using live bullets. Some of our children cannot be traced. The police, who ought to protect us, are frustrating us and we now want them out or we migrate to Uganda forever,” Ms Edung said.

The 43-year-old mother of 10 said they were spending nights in the bushes as they fear for their security, besides threats from very influential government officers.

She said the government is using recently issued allotment letters to dispossess them of their land.

Allotment letters

“Moi gave us allotment letters and we wonder why the government is turning against us. We own the farms legally because each one of us was allotted two-and-a-half acres when ADC left. We have the allotment letters and I wonder why the government is terming them illegal,” said Ms Edung.

The 700 families at Katikomor have neither food, shelter, clothing nor access to proper healthcare.

The IDPs accused Rift Valley Regional Coordinator George Natembeya, who visited the area two months ago, of abandoning them, and are now calling on President Uhuru Kenyatta to come to their rescue.

Another squatter, Mr Paul Ereng, who was an ADC employee, noted that a total of 625 acres were given to the IDPs by former President Moi.

“We cleared the bushes around here. The land now belongs to the security team and government officers who have been colluding with tycoons. We are suffering,” said Mr Ereng.

Status quo

In a meeting with the IDPs, Mr Moroto faulted the government for evicting residents from what he said was their rightful land despite a court directive that the status quo should remain.

“We cannot sit back and watch our people suffer. The new Chief Justice Martha Koome should come in and help. The Judiciary is trying but the National Assembly and Senate have become dirty and full of corruption,” Mr Moroto, who was in March was arrested at Chepchoina after visiting the IDPs, said.

Probe police excesses

He asked the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to investigate claims of police excesses during the evictions from the land.

“Residents are being assaulted by the police and they can easily retaliate. There is a human rights commission office in Kitale but no one has visited the IDPS,” he said.

During his visit, Mr Natembeya revealed that a total of 1,700 acres of land at the controversial settlement scheme had been excised from the ADC land.

The government, Mr Natembeya said then, had begun an exercise to determine genuine landowners at the settlement scheme.

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