Row over management of land buying firm rages

A fight broke out between members of two land buying companies the Solai Ruyobei land buying company and Oljorai Limited leaving at least one person dead. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

A row over the management of Solai Ruyobei Farm, a land-buying company, has escalated, leaving the fate of over 3,000 members of the company in limbo.

The members, who won a land dispute in 2019, have been waiting for the issuance of a title deed to occupy their 8,000-acre land in Oljorai, Gilgil Sub County, Nakuru County.

However, the division and dispute over leadership, have seen some directors sign a deal for the company to swap the title for the 8,000 acres with Lari Nyakinyua.

The deal would see the members occupy some 5,000 acres in Solai while Lari Nyakinyua’s members occupy the Oljorai land.

Through his lawyer, Kipkoech Chebet, the chair of the company said the exchange was done because a majority of the company members had occupied the land in Solai.

“Members of Ruyobei farm had occupied the land in Solai as they fought over ownership of the land in Oljorai. We decided to swap titles with Lari Nyakinyua, who legally owns the Solai land,” he said.

Chebet insisted that he was one of the directors of the company and had a right to transact on behalf of all the members unless the court ordered otherwise.

The title swap was witnessed by Land Principal Secretary Nixon Korir and Rongai MP Paul Chebor, ending a 32-year-old ownership dispute.

Chebor said the process was included in the Government Titling program, and they expect President William Ruto to hand over the deeds.

According to Chebet, previous directors, including Richardson Kipkoech, were legally removed from the office after which they formed a splinter group against the new directors.

Further, Chebet insisted that all the genuine members understood the need to swap the titles since the majority were happy to continue living in Solai.