Angata Barikoi: State defied court order not to evict families

Families are mourning the five people shot dead on Monday when police attempted to stop a demonstration against the alleged grabbing of 10,000 acres of land by a senior government official.

The incident has brought to the fore issues of land ownership that have dogged the area for decades.

The fertile valley, characterised by forested hills, river networks and lush vegetation, receives ample rainfall throughout the year, allowing for plentiful production of maize, sugarcane and other crops.

To an outsider, this may appear as paradise, but this idyllic image hides a complex reality filled with unease, mistrust and strained relations between local communities and the government.

This situation is particularly evident in the Angata Barikoi area of Trans Mara South Sub-County, where land conflicts have persisted for decades.

According to government records, the disputed land in the Angata Barikoi/Moyoi 2 adjudication section was declared in 1975, with subdivisions documented in the final register made available for inspection.

In 1976, the Ministry of Lands recognised the Moyoi adjudication section, and the adjudication register was accessible at the Lolgorian Chief's office. In 1996, the register was certified as final, and the Chief Land Registrar issued title deeds.

The Angata Barikoi adjudication section was also declared, with boundaries gazetted and ownership rights recorded in 1996.

The adjudication register was published for inspection in September of that year, and a certificate of finality was issued in October, 2002, and title deeds given out.

However, in 2019, the National Lands Commission announced the cancellation of the title deeds and directed the Ministry of Lands to readjudicate the land, including representatives from the Kuria and Kipsigis communities.

The conflict goes back to a claim filed by the Kuria community regarding historical land injustices. This issue originates from a sale agreement made between members of the Siria Maasai and the Kuria communities in 1946, involving an exchange of cattle.

A dispute arose in 1955 but was mediated by the colonial authorities. A boundary demarcation was established, and around 1980, the government declared two adjudication sections that included portions purchased by the Kuria community.

Unfortunately, residents were forcibly displaced. The aggrieved communities sought legal recourse, but the case has lingered in court.

Despite a court order issued by Justice Cyprian Waswa of the Kilgoris Environment and Land Court, the government proceeded to demarcate the land. Samuel Kipkoros Cheruiyot and Philip Sigei, representing the affected families, are the petitioners.