President William Ruto ’s political backyard in Taveta turned into a fresh opposition battlefront on Saturday as a high-powered delegation descended on the area to rally families displaced by disputed land evictions.
Led by Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka , the opposition leaders took their campaign to Mkocheni, just a stone’s throw from Mr Ruto’s Eldoro farm, where dozens of families evicted about a year ago continue to live in makeshift camps.
The leaders used the visit to launch a blistering attack on the government, accusing senior officials of presiding over evictions that have rendered hundreds of residents homeless.
The delegation included Democratic Party leader Justin Muturi, DAP-Kenya leader Eugene Wamalwa, former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa, Wundanyi MP Danson Mwashako and more than 20 MPs.
“Private land belonging to the people of Jipe/Mwakoshemi has been forcefully grabbed, and the rightful occupants evicted from their homes in the dead of night by police officers who should be protecting them, not terrorising them. Hundreds of citizens — among them women, persons with disabilities, and children — are sleeping in makeshift shelters, without food or water.
"Not even the children have been spared: the land on which their schools stand has also been grabbed, locking them out of their right to an education guaranteed under Article 43 of the Constitution. This is a brazen violation of Articles 40 and 43 of the Constitution, and it will not go unanswered,” Mr Musyoka said in a statement.
Wiper spokesperson Ndegwa Njiru, Mr Musyoka said, will move to court and pursue contempt proceedings against the Registrar of Lands.
“Those who signed, stamped and enforced this land grab will be named and they will answer for it. To the families of Jipe/Mwakoshemi, you are not alone and you will not be forgotten. I will not rest until justice is served and every family is resettled on what rightfully belongs to them,” said Mr Musyoka.
He questioned why taxpayers’ money was allegedly being used to construct roads leading to the President’s private farm, arguing that public resources should serve residents rather than individual interests.
“Today in our tour, we were shocked to see another State House being built in Taveta at the expense of Taveta people,” he said.
The opposition leader accused the administration of turning government machinery against ordinary citizens and warned that the Taveta land controversy would become a major political issue ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Mr Muturi added another explosive dimension to the accusations, saying documents he approved while serving as Attorney-General were used to fast-track road construction in Taveta without him knowing that the infrastructure would directly benefit the President.
“I never knew the documents I was signing to speed up the process to construct roads in Taveta were to benefit Mr Ruto directly. My visit today proves that what he did was a conflict of interest,” said Mr Muturi.
The political showdown comes amid a long-running land dispute in Jipe, where residents have accused a senior government official of overseeing their eviction from contested land.
Earlier this month, residents demanded that a fence erected around the disputed property be removed after a Land and Environment Court ruling in their favour.
They want the government to enforce the ruling, allow displaced families to return and issue title deeds to bring an end to years of uncertainty.
The residents claim about 3,000 acres were jointly donated by former First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta and businessman Basil Criticos under the Jipe-Taveta Settlement initiative to settle genuine squatters.
But what was intended as a settlement scheme has instead become a flashpoint over land ownership, evictions and political power.
With the 2027 elections drawing closer, the opposition leaders are seeking to turn the Taveta land dispute into a rallying cry against the Kenya Kwanza administration, portraying the evictions as evidence of a government that has lost touch with ordinary citizens.
For the displaced families, however, the political speeches offer little comfort as they continue living in camps, waiting for justice, land and a place to call home.
