Lari Nyakinyua members barred from 8,000-acre land

Lari Nyakinyua land shareholders during a past meeting at Kimende Posta grounds. [File, Standard]

More than 15,000 members of Lari Nyakinyua Limited have been barred from accessing 8,000-acre land in Oljorai, Gilgil, Nakuru county.

The members obtained a title deed for the disputed land following an exchange of title deed with Solai Ruyobei Farm Limited on July 24, 2020.

According to the Deed of Exchange seen by The Standard, members of Lari Nyakinyua were to occupy the land in Oljorai while the Solai Ruyobei Limited were to occupy land in Solai, Rongai Sub County, Nakuru County.

However, the Lari Nyakinyua leadership has claimed that the members have been barred from the land by politicians and senior government officials occupying part of the property.

Lari Nyakinyua chairman Peter Gachie said some top politicians in Nakuru have occupied over 200 acres of the land in Oljorai and have refused to surrender it.

“We believe that the officials are using armed goons to frustrate our attempt to occupy the land. We sent a certified surveyor to survey the land and prepare it for subdivision but he was chased by goons,” said Gachie.

Gachie explained that when members secured ownership of the land, it was listed that the company had about 5,000 members but they have now grown to more than 15,000.

He said they are in possession of the mother title and have resolved not to evict more than 3,000 Oljorai squatters who are occupying part of the land.

“We know there are squatters on the land and we will not evict them but we will instead sit and divide part of our land for them to occupy since they have not only possessed the land but they have constructed schools and business premises,” he said.

Zipporah Nalang’u one of the Oljorai squatters and an opinion leader said that no squatter can occupy over 200 acres of a land.

She regretted that as squatters and members of Lari Nyakinyua plan to co-exist, some senior officials are being used to cause chaos in an attempt to grab the land.

Further, Nalang’u claimed that the officials have been selling land at a throw away price to ignorant Kenyans.

“Where in the nation is a five-acre land being sold for Sh200,000? Beware that if you buy land in Oljorai you will be buying hot air,” she said.

The Oljorai squatters chairman Sikon Olekupele said people who wanted to use him to cause division and fights with Lari Nyakinyua are on his neck.

Olekupele claimed that goons have been hunting him for urging squatters to maintain peace.

“These people want to kill me but they will not change the title deed of the land registered under Lari Nyakinyua. Even if I am dead, others will replace me and carry on,” he said.

He said the squatters are not the owners of the land but they have been allowed to occupy part of it and there is nothing more they want other than maintain peace.

Olekupele regretted that the land division dispute had already resulted in the deaths of over 15 people and called on the government to intervene.

Former Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri regretted that possession of the land has been politicised and it will only result in deaths and suffering of the people.

Ngunjiri said there was a genuine title deed and urged government officials to obey the law instead of interfering with land ownership.