The perennial evictions at the troubled Chepchoina Settlement Scheme in Trans-Nzoia County continue to haunt many people who have become landless and living as squatters.
The scheme has been making headlines over chaos, blood shedding and evictions with people unlawfully evicted from the lands they claim that they have owned for over 25 years now.
Hundreds of people in the area have been affected yet they claim to own the farms legally.
The squatters from the Pokot, Turkana, Luhya and Saboat communities claim that they were allocated five acres of land each at the scheme under Agricultural Development Co-operation (ADC) in 1994 and 1997 by former President, the late Daniel Arap Moi but they are being frustrated by the government short changing and turning against them by giving the land to other people.
Double allocations claims
As a result, West Pokot leaders, led by Kapenguria MP Samuel Moroto and his Sigor counterpart Peter Lochakapong, are now raising concern over double allocation of lands at the troubled Chepchoina scheme along the West Pokot and Trans-Nzoia counties which has led to tension in the area.
According to MP Moroto, the government through the ministry of lands is playing hide and seek games by failing to address the issues of double allocation of the land.
The MP now issuing a stern warning to government that if it fails to settle the dispute he will lead the affected persons in a mass demonstrations to criticise government.
Tension is high
Sigor MP Peter Lochakapong says the tension is high in the area and that last week the security team at the area threatened to shoot and kill the affected persons who could demand for their rights.
“Some officers at the ministry of lands should give us answers, They have been rewarding workers at the lands ministry and other administrators,” he said.
Mr Lochakapong said many irregularities and illegalities are happening at the scheme where there are extra judicial evictions, harassment and security officers protecting powerful individuals.
“The GSU and police harass people without taking them to court. Phase 111 people have not benefited apart from the spouses of ministry of lands people,” Mp Moroto said.
Tycoons vs wananchi
At the scheme, there was double allocation of allotment letters in 1994 and 1997 where tycoons who have been colluding with government officials have been ploughing the lands.
The cartels who took over land under the supervision of security officers have been threatening, brutalizing and harassing residents in a bid to shun them from cultivating their lands for planting.
The first allotment letters were issued by the late Rift Valley Provincial Commissioner Ishmael Chelang’a, former ADC managing director Walter Kilele and Settlement Fund Trustees (SFT).
Government officers again reportedly came and gave out the allotment letters to different people for the same pieces of land.
A snap survey shows that, squatters have been evicted from Kamten, Kaboto, Kambi Mawe, Naminit, Naoyapong, Milimani Cherangani, Kamtel, Narasras, Kamken, Sirisia, Katikomor and Kaporet villages.
Tv47 has established that affected families are sleeping outside in bushes especially children who are malnourished and elders suffering are in urgent need of food aid, shelter and drugs.
The squatters are living in agony for lacking food, shelter, clothing, toilets, drugs, hospitals and are subjected to chilly weather conditions, mosquitoes and diseases.
The IDPs, who were evicted by the government from Chepchoina land settlement scheme in Trans-nzoia County on 6th March, 2021, are afraid of what the future has for them.
The Aggrieved residents said the exercise was marred with cases of irregularities that saw deserving individuals left out despite their long wait which they said is a violation of their rights.
Squatters have also accused unnamed powerful politicians of interfering with the process so as to benefit from the allocation process and call for investigations by the Directorate of Criminal investigations (DCI).
