BY WINSTONE MUSISI
Over 1,000 Sirikwa squatters from Eldoret in Uasin Gishu County awarded 25,000 acres of agricultural land belonging to former powerful Kanu ere MP Mark Too in 2017 claim there is a plot to defraud them.
The group chairman Benjamin Kiprono claimed a businessman forged signatures of some of their deceased members purporting that there were changes in leadership of the group.
The incident was reported at Eldoret police station leading to the arrest of two suspects. The two were arraigned in court and charged with obtaining certificate of registration by false pretenses.
In the case, the court heard that David Yego and William Melly together with others not before court on February 16, 2017 at Wareng Sub County Social Development office jointly with others not before court, forged a certificate of registration belonging to Sirikwa Squatters pretending that they were officials of the group mandate to perform transactions on behalf of the group.
The accused who were also charged with six other charges of forgery and giving false information denied the charges before Eldoret Senior Resident Magistrate Naomi Wairimu.
They were released on KSh10, 000 cash bail each. Since their release the case has been pending in court for the last four years.
Following the delay of the case and frequent adjournment, the squatters now want the court to speed up the case.
They accused judiciary officers in Eldoret for dilly dallying with the case. However the court denied the allegations saying that lawyers from both parties are to be blamed for frequent adjournment.
The case will be mentioned on November 22 for further directions.
In the multi-million land case, the squatters who have been living near the Moi International Airport, Eldoret, went to court in 2007 and sued the various Government departments, Lonrho Agribusiness East
Africa Company, Mark Too, David Korir and others for grabbing their land.
The then High Court judge Anthony Ombwayo in his 2017 ruling, ordered that the squatters be allocated the land.
‘The petitioners have a legitimate expectation to be registered as owners and need to be allocated the parcels of land because the transaction by the respondents was unlawful.
The respondents need to abide by the initial decrees and documents from relevant Government authorities and issue title deeds to the applicants,’ ruled Justice Ombwayo.
The judge further directed that the late Mark Too’s family retains not less than 67.5 acres from the disputed 25,000 acres.
The family of the late MP has since appealed against the ruling. The court of appeal is yet to make the ruling on the same.