Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku (centre) addresses a community meeting in Orgira village over Rombo Group Ranch, where the subdivision of the vast land has locked out many vulnerable community members.
August 24, 2024. It is approaching 6pm.
The serenity of Kimana Police Station in Kajiado South sub-County is suddenly jolted.
Hundreds of morans armed with their traditional and cultural weapons and singing dirges from atop several vehicles snake into the security facility.
The crowd heads to the office of the Officer Commanding Station Salmon Kivuva, demanding to be given their title deeds.
Seemingly cornered and overwhelmed, the OCS places an emergency call to his boss, Kajiado South sub-County Police Commander David Maina Kabuthia, to report the station raid, and seek reinforcement.
The commander quickly contacts Oloitokitok and Tarakea Police Stations.
But before the contingent of regular and administration officers can head for Kimana, the OCS calls his boss with one terse message: ‘The crowds have raided the station and ransacked it.’
After the violation of the station, the gang makes away with the metallic safe box containing title deeds, receipts, allotment letters and other crucial documents belonging to Imbirikani Group Ranch.
The safe box had been taken by police from Paran Resort in Kimana where the group ranch has an office.
Splinter group
Police had gone for the safe after intelligence sources indicated a splinter group was planning to raid the hotel and burn it together with the ranch office.
They were also targeting the ranch motor vehicle.
Police, together with some national government administrators, therefore, took the safe to the nearby police station.
But it appears that was the aggressors’ plan, all along.
In a rare act of rage at the dusk of August 27, the leaders of the crowd quickly take the safe into one vehicle and sped off along the Oloitokitok - Emali road, supposedly towards Nairobi.
Knowing the magnitude of the raid and the value of the items in the stolen safe, police and several officials of the ranch embark on a car chase, which ends up in a ranch near Chyulu Hills.
It is now dark.
The police are reportedly blocked from accessing the ranch while other vehicles in hot pursuit also block them from leaving the entrance of the ranch.
"We kept vigil at the said Ranch up to 4am. We were devastated at the impunity of the gang. When it became impossible to get the safe box back, we left," says Daniel Metui, the chairman of Imbirikani Group Ranch.
His sentiments are echoed by the sub-county police boss who led the chase.
This daring raid of the police station and the stealing of at least 400 title deeds is the culmination of a six-month power struggle at the 430,000-acre Imbirikani Group Ranch, which straddles the Kajiado- Makueni-Taita Taveta border.
The group ranch has more than 4,200 members, most of whom have been given title deeds after the county government of Kajiado and the Ministry of Land jointly kicked off the sub-division and issuance of title deeds.
Details dug up by Nation show that each member had been allocated 10 acres within the settlement area, two acres within the irrigation area and 31 acres within the rangeland for livestock grazing.
The process of issuing the title deeds has been ongoing until February this year, when a splinter group plotted to oust Mr Metui from the chairmanship.
Mr Metui, serving since 2013, is a known ally of Governor Joseph ole Lenku whom he has supported since 2017 and was in the forefront in the 2022 re-election campaign.
State House Comptroller
On the opposing side, Mr Konee Kinyaku, the leader of the splinter group, is a staunch supporter of Mr Katoo ole Metito, the 2022 United Democratic Alliance (UDA) gubernatorial candidate and now State House Comptroller.
"We are agitating for transparency, fairness and justice in running of Imbirikani Group Ranch. Our competitors cannot serve that to our members but we can," said Mr Kinyaku in a previous members meeting.
While the Konee Camp are seen to have the support of top civil servants in the Kenya Kwanza administration and some grassroots politicians, the Metui camp enjoys support from the political leadership in the county, led by Governor Lenku.
But Mr Metito, through his personal assistant Paul Kerembu, distanced himself from the troubles in the group ranch, insisting that the former Internal Security minister was not ready to be entangled in local politics.
"Let it be known Mr Katoo is currently a senior civil servant serving the Kenya Kwanza administration diligently as stipulated in the law. It's unfortunate that a few local politicians are politicising the Imbirikani Group Ranch grave matter at the expense of the poor members," said Mr Kerembu
Other leaders who have publicly supported the Metui committee are Senator Samuel Seki, nominated Senator Peris Tobiko, and MPs Samuel Parashina ( Kajiado South), Kakuta Maimai( Kajiado East) and Onesmus Ngogoyo ( Kajiado North).
The beauty of the land under dispute is endowed with multiple potential economic activities— agriculture, livestock rearing and tourism through conservancies.
By virtue of the influence group ranch leaders have on local political decisions, the two factions are balancing the power arithmetic in readiness for the 2027 polls.
The raid has now fermented the acrimonious struggle for the ranch's soul, with Mr Metui enjoying a court order that was issued by Kajiado Chief Magistrate, Roseline Ongayo saying that the status quo should remain.
Earlier, Chief Magistrate Ongayo had given the Konee camp some reprieve when she ruled that the ranch's accounts be frozen pending determination of the case.
The order was later overturned in favour of Metui's continued service as chairman.
Where is the safe box?
With the title deeds and other crucial documents missing, local leaders have castigated administration and security officers for delay in repossessing the safe box while those who carried it "are well known”.
They now want Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki and acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli to immediately order the arrest of the culprits saying they could not tolerate protection of the suspects.
"They are all over bragging they have the safe box. If a cow is stolen, you start by looking for the thief and not the cow. We have provided all details, including the owner of the vehicle that carried the safe box," said Mr Metui.
Governor Lenku, while addressing members of the group ranch last Saturday, was furious.
"Enough is enough. There are senior civil servants from this area who are abusing power and intimidating security officers to create chaos. We call upon the security team to uphold the rule of law and arrest the culprits. We cannot trade our long-held peace with anything," said Governor Lenku.
He added: "Any conspiracy between the officers and the culprits will be met with a lot of resistance from the community. They have no option other than to work for justice and obey the court order that is active."
Senator Seki also called for the President’s intervention.
"Earlier this year, we asked the President to tame his officers from veering off the development agenda. Today, we are here to ask him to sack them for gross misconduct. He must relieve them to enable them to actively participate in politics," said Seki.
Ms Tobiko demanded immediate action on those involved.
"Suddenly, we have security officers working for one person and not the people. I am giving an ultimatum to such officers to pack and go if they cannot restrict themselves to public service," said Ms Tobiko.
By Thursday, tension was still palpable in the area after residents threatened to hold demonstrations against local security and administrative officers if the safe box had not been recovered in 72 hours.
Mr Kabuthia, the sub-county police boss, told Nation the DCI has been brought on board in the investigations and that they were pursuing at least five ring leaders of the police station raid.
"The DCI officers have zeroed in to several individuals who will be prosecuted for robbery with violence and causing disturbance in a police station. So far the whereabouts of the safe box is still unknown," said Mr Kabuthia.
