Uasin Gishu Land Dispute: Nyakinyua Women Protest Alleged 80-Acre Grab in Kapseret, Urge President Ruto to Intervene
“I am old and nearing the end of my life. Are we going to die without ever stepping on our land again?”Jecinta Muthoni.
Surviving members of Wareng Nyakinyua Company (2) demonstrate in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, calling on President William Ruto to intervene in the decades-long dispute over their contested 80-acre parcel, which they allege was fraudulently taken and subdivided.
Surviving members of the Nyakinyua/Wareng women’s group who purchased an 80-acre parcel in Kapseret Sub-county, Uasin Gishu, have staged protests demanding the rectification and restoration of land they claim was fraudulently taken from them decades ago.
The largely elderly women accuse Kipkaren/Kipkenyo Ward MCA David Letting, alias Kokwas, of orchestrating the alleged invasion, subdivision and sale of the property to third parties. The group maintains that despite years of petitions to government offices, justice has remained elusive.
“We have been to every government office seeking justice, but we are now pleading with the President to intervene. That is the only office we have not reached,” said Pauline Nduta Mwangi, fighting back tears. “My husband died while we were still pursuing this case. Our land was taken from us and we have nowhere else to go.”
According to members, the land was purchased in the early 1980s after pooling resources, with some tracing the initial investment to proceeds from earlier farming ventures in Matunda dating back to the 1970s. They say the parcel, registered as LR No. 8492/1, was formally transferred to Wareng Nyakinyua Company (2) in 1988.
Some members settled and developed the land, but were repeatedly displaced during periods of ethnic clashes in the 1990s and the 2007–2008 post-election violence. “Each time we were forced out, new people occupied the land. Eventually, it was subdivided and sold off,” said Mwangi Kamau.
“Today, many of us are landless. I live as a squatter in Timboroa, yet I rightfully own land in Kapseret.”
Another member, Jecinta Muthoni, said the dispute has spanned generations. “We bought this land as Nyakinyua women. The person who sold it to us is still alive. But today, widows and elderly people are being disinherited,” she said. “I am old and nearing the end of my life. Are we going to die without ever stepping on our land again?”
A detailed investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) into the parcel indicates that the land was originally owned by Wareng Nyakinyua Company (2) before being irregularly transferred to an entity known as Uikaro Self Help Group. Investigators established that the group was not a registered company with legal capacity to transact land and that key documents used in the transfer were forged.
The DCI report further reveals that the land was subsequently subdivided into over 400 plots under Kapsaret/Kapsaret Block 12 (Uikaro) and titles issued, despite the original owners not being party to the legal processes that led to the subdivision. Authorities recommended the prosecution of several individuals for conspiracy to defraud, forgery and fraudulent acquisition of land, as well as the cancellation of the resultant titles.
In petitions addressed to the Ministry of Lands and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the group has called for urgent intervention, citing constitutional provisions on the protection of property rights and demanding the restoration of the land to its rightful owners.
However, MCA Letting has dismissed the allegations, maintaining that his acquisition of the land was lawful.
“There was a court case in Eldoret more than five years ago and it was concluded. Everyone occupying the land has a title,” he said. “I bought about 10 plots from legitimate owners under Uikaro Self Help Group. Over 300 people purchased land there. Those raising issues are brokers who lost out.”
He added that the matter had previously been escalated to former President Mwai Kibaki and is now being taken to President William Ruto, insisting that due process had already been followed.
Despite the conflicting claims, the elderly members say time is running out for them. “Many of our colleagues have already died while waiting for justice,” said Mwangi. “We are pleading with President Ruto to act and ensure land grabbers are held accountable. This is the only hope we have left.”
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