Blood, courts and a Sh5b prize: Inside the Koinange-Mpoe land war

A police officer restrained a man wielding a machete after two factions, supporting the Mboe and Koinange families, clashed at Muthera Farm in Njoro, Nakuru County, on August 16, 2024. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

A long-running ownership dispute over a prime 4,296-acre agricultural property in Mau Narok, Nakuru County — valued at Sh5 billion — has descended into violence, deaths and protracted court battles involving the families of the late powerful politician Mbiyu Koinange and the late Kikenyi ole Mpoe.

The dispute, which has played out in both civil and criminal courts for decades, has at times erupted into bloody confrontations on the ground, turning the expansive Muthera Farm into a battleground.

On Tuesday, two brothers, Josephat Munke Ole Mpoe and Joseph Kakore Ole Mpoe, were arraigned before a Nakuru court to face multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit a felony, making false documents, false swearing and giving false information to a public officer.

The prosecution alleges that on April 11, 2023, at an unknown location, the two conspired to fraudulently generate a title deed for the disputed land in the name of Kikenyi ole Mpoe, with the intention of defrauding the administrators of the estate of Mbiyu Koinange of the 4,296-acre parcel valued at Sh5 billion.

They further face charges of presenting the forged title and, on September 16, 2023, giving false information to officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations by claiming that the land belonged to Kikenyi.

The accused denied the charges and were released on a bond of Sh1 million each.

The criminal case unfolds against the backdrop of a separate, long-running succession dispute over Koinange’s vast estate, estimated at Sh30 billion.

In December 2023, the High Court in Nairobi ordered the distribution of the estate, ending a 42-year legal battle among family members. Justice Eric Ogola dismissed an application seeking to review the distribution formula and directed Koinange’s son, David Njuno, to execute all necessary documents to facilitate the final sharing of the estate.

Justice Ogola upheld an earlier judgment delivered on May 7, 2020, by then High Court judge Aggrey Muchelule (now a Court of Appeal judge), which ruled that the estate be divided equally among Koinange’s 12 children, regardless of gender or house.

Among the properties listed for distribution was Muthera Farm (LR No. 8669/3 Mau Narok), measuring 4,292 acres.

Justice Muchelule ordered that 800 acres be sold to settle liabilities, debts and administrative costs, while 150 acres be set aside for roads, a police station, a school and other public amenities. The remaining 3,342 acres were to be shared equally among the 12 beneficiaries, with each receiving 278.5 acres.

Despite the ruling, the ownership dispute over the farm remains unresolved.

The Koinange family is locked in another legal battle with the Mpoe family, who also claim ownership of the land. Attempts by the Koinange beneficiaries to occupy and manage the farm have repeatedly been met with resistance.

In December 2024, Margaret Njeri Mbiyu, widow of the former minister, moved to court seeking orders to restrain members of the Mpoe family from leasing the land to third parties, invading it or otherwise interfering with the proprietorship rights over Muthera Farm.

In her application, Njeri sued Josephat Munke Mpoe, Joseph Mpoe and 22 others, stating that she had been granted ownership of the property and that the administrators and beneficiaries had enjoyed peaceful possession until the alleged invasion.

She told the court that the administrators had been unable to distribute or fully utilise the land after the Mpoe family allegedly moved in without consent and began leasing it out to third parties.

In response, the Mpoe family filed an application dated January 21, 2025, seeking to have Njeri’s suit struck out.

In an affidavit, Josphat Mpoe stated that he was a co-administrator of the estate of the late Kikenyi ole Mpoe, whom he described as the registered proprietor of the disputed land. He argued that there was already a pending case—Nakuru ELC No. E013 of 2020—concerning the same parcel, parties and subject matter.

Justice Anthony Ombwayo dismissed the application, noting that the prayer for a permanent injunction was premature at the interlocutory stage.

Outside the courtroom, violence linked to the land dispute has persisted.

In August 2024, tensions flared when members of the Koinange family toured the property. A group allied to the Mpoe family confronted them.

Cedric Mbiyu, a grandson of Koinange, said official land records recognise the Koinange family as the sole owner, dismissing rival claimants as former employees exploiting the family’s periodic absence.

However, Joseph Ole Mpoe, a son of Kikenyi, insisted the land belonged to his father even before independence, accusing the Koinange family of using political influence to seize it.

The conflict has previously claimed several lives. In 2009, George Kihara, an administrator of the farm and a member of the Koinange family, and his employees were injured in a machete attack. In 2010, Maasai land rights activist Moses Mpoe and wheat farmer Parsaaiya Ole Kitu were killed, while Joseph Mpoe sustained serious injuries.

At the time of his death, Moses Mpoe was embroiled in a legal battle with the Koinange family, describing Muthera Farm as Maasai ancestral land. Koinange’s widow, Eddah Wanjiru, her stepson, David Njuno, and five others were charged with his murder but were later acquitted.

Moses Mpoe’s killing sparked outrage among Maasai leaders.