Nandi Governor Steven Sang has emerged to the public limelight just one day after he was alleged to have gone into hiding for fear of being arrested by police following the destruction of a tea firm in Nandi Hills sub-county.
On Friday, Sang together with a section of officials from Nandi County descended on a tea estate in Nandi Hills armed with power saws and heavy machinery claiming that the land in which the estate occupies was a public land grabbed by a powerful powerful politician in the country.
While addressing members of the press hours after re-emerging from his ‘hideout’ Sang insisted that the destroyed tea farm belongs to the community which was given to them by the White settlers before leaving the county during independence.
Sang insisted that the documents in their possession show that the grabbed land belongs to the community. The governor added that the community had contributed to built a cattle dip in the farm before the private developer demolished the structure and turning the land into a tea estate.
Nandi Gov. Stephen Sang is currently giving a press briefing live from Nandi county. #TheDailyBrief w/ @SamWNjoroge pic.twitter.com/NzSSgVaire
— K24 TV (@K24Tv) June 10, 2019
Initial reports had earlier indicated that the police were in hot pursuit of the governor over destructions after claims emerged that the governor had gone into hiding in the nearby county of Egeyo Marakwet.
These reports were however denied by the office of the governor. The Director of communications in the county Gideon Cise rubbished the claims of impending arrest terming it propaganda since the governor was willing to corporate with the authorities over the matter.
The 2,500 mature tea bushes at Kibwari estate managed under the agency of Eastern Produce Kenya (EPK) Ltd. Sources indicate that the vast lying estate belongs to former Tindiret MP and Moi’s close ally Henry Kiprono Kosgei.
Sang alleged that there were criminal attempts by cartels to alter the survey maps and annex of the said cattle dip land to Kibwari tea estate that but such attempts failed.
On Sunday, Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Muromen came to the aid of the embattled governor defending him over the destruction of Kosgey’s tea estate. Murkomen through his Tweeter account insisted that Senator’s move was in line with President Uhuru Kenyatta’s directive concerning the recovery of public land.
“I am told someone wants to arrest Governor Sang for demolishing structure/fixtures situated/growing in public land. That was a directive of the President and no public officer in national or county level was/has been arrested including in the Taj Mall & SouthEnd Mall.” Tweeted Murkomen
I am told someone want to arrest Governor Sang for demolishing structure/fixtures situated/growing in public land. That was a directive of the President and no public officer in national or county level was/has been arrested including in the Taj Mall & SouthEnd Mall.
— KIPCHUMBA MURKOMEN, E.G.H (@kipmurkomen) June 9, 2019
Murkomen rubbished reports that the governor was facing arrest following the incident.
