Elders on Friday “cursed a powerful land cartel” that has grabbed at least 1,500 acres of community land in Kerio Valley.
Kongot and Sego clans in Keiyo South recently discovered their communal land has been fraudulently registered by strangers and sold out to third parties in an intricate land racket.
A sacred ritual to cast a spell was conducted by Kongot clan elders on the disputed land on Friday.
Clan elders chairman Joel Kiptunoi said elders resorted to cursing the cartels after petitions to state agencies to revoke title deeds and revert back the land to the community failed.
HAPPENING NOW: Keiyo elders hold ceremony to curse land grabbers at Kerio Valley #KTNNewsCentre @lindahoguttu pic.twitter.com/83BjiYGrhM
— ktn (@KTNKenya) August 10, 2018
Cursing rituals, among the Kalenjin is carried out by selected elders with “saint-like” behaviours.
A goat was slaughtered and the blood sprinkled on the land amid chanting of ritual songs before elders left the venue quietly and in a hurry as per traditions.
Kiptunoi said the spilling of blood signifies that doom and death will befall the grabbers and their families if they fail to surrender the land. “Justice will be found. Those who grabbed our land may think they are powerful, but they will soon face the consequences and pay for their sins,” Kiptunoi said.
Clan secretary Nicholas Kiplagat claimed they are aware of a syndicate involving the National Land Commission and state government officials to grab communal lands in the valley.
Swazuri arrested!
And it seems the ritual worked as National land commission chairman Mohammed Swazuri was arrested on Saturday, a day after the ritual.
Swazuri was arrested with six other top officials from the commission hours after prosecutor Noordin Haji agreed to charges against him. Even though the charges are about compensation of SGR land, the Kalenjin elders should be very happy.
Mr Haji’s office on Saturday tweeted that he has agreed to charges against the National Land Commission (NLC) chairman and others over compensation for land acquired for construction of the standard gauge railway.
“#BreakingNews, The DPP has consented to charges against National Land Commission (NLC) Chair Dr Swazuri and others in relation to #SGR compensation,” reads the tweet posted early Saturday morning.
Police also arrested the commission’ chief executive/secretary Chavangi Aziz Tom and Kenya Railways boss Atanas Maina.
Two senior land commission directors, Ms Salome Munubi (valuation and taxation) and Mr Francis Mugo (finance), were also arrested in the morning swoop.
Ms Gladys Mwikali Muyanga, a land registrar, in the Lands ministry and a licensed land surveyor Mr Obadiah Mbugua Wainaina are also in police custody.
Details about the specific charges the seven arrested officials face were scanty but Mr Swazuri has been on the spot over compensation of land acquired for construction of SGR.
Breaking: NLC Chairman Mahammed Swazuri with 16 other accused persons plead not guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud government- Sh 221,375,000. #NLCProsecution #AntiCorruption_ODPP #HighProfileProsecution @NTVbreakingnews @KtnBreaking @citizentvkenya pic.twitter.com/ZQG1XR0Tmn
— ODPP_KE (@ODPP_KE) August 13, 2018
A family had petitioned the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) demanding Mr Swazuri and Kenya Railways boss Maina investigated over the compulsory acquisition of a piece of land, LR No MN/VI/755, located in Miritini, Mombasa.
But the DPP’s tweet did not elaborate whether Mr Swazuri will be charged over payment of Sh519m for the piece of land claimed by the family of the late James Kamau Thiong’o and the African Gas and Oil Company Limited (AGOL).
The family alleged NLC and Kenya Railways processed the payment before they could determine the legality of the title being held by AGOL.