A section of Samburu County politicians and members of staff are on the spot over grabbing of community land in the region threatening to render residents squatters on their own land.
The county governor, Moses Kasaine Lenolkulal, who is also facing Ksh86.7 million graft charges, is at the centre of the fraud that has left residents living in fear after the county lands office issued an eviction notice.
In documents in our procession, the embattled governor is accused of having allocated himself 0.23 hectares of the land in Maralal that belongs to the Shabaa community.
Our sources revealed that Lenolkulal has also allocated his relatives and cronies the land with the help of the Lands, Housing and Urban Development CEC Benedict Lentumunai.
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Lenolkulal’s family members said to have benefitted from the fraud are; Edward Lenolkulal (0.1 ha), Naanyu Lenolkulal (0.1ha), James Lenolkulal (0.1ha), Esther Lenolkulal (0.1ha), Mark Lenolkulal (0.14ha), Sammy Lenolkulal (0.13ha) and Simon Lenolkulal (0.1ha).
Lentumunai and Moses Omondi, the Chief Officer in the lands department, have also allocated themselves a share of the land.
The Lands CEC allocated himself plot 73B while Omondi allocated himself two plots, number 35 and 37, each measuring 0.25 hectares.
The land fraud now referred by locals as “Shabaa Maralal Land Heist”, has also roped in Samburu West Member of Parliament Naisula Lesuuda and Samburu Woman Representative Maison Leshoomo, all said to have benefitted from the illegal take over.
Leshoomo, our sources revealed, was allocated plot 107A measuring 0.14 ha while Lesuuda got plot 107B which measures 0.13ha.
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The county assembly speaker Solomon Lempere is also on the list of the individuals accused of the injustice. He got
Officials in the lands office had a crisis meeting on Friday after the information implicating them leaked.
Residents say the leaders took advantage of the fact that the community land is unregistered and obtained it fraudulently.
A group of individuals from the community had reportedly registered the land and at the time of the illegal acquisition, they had not received its title deed.
The land the leaders allocated themselves is currently occupied and the Lands CEC issued a notice of eviction on April 21, but residents stood to their ground.
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“The Department of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, has received both oral and written complaints withing the neighbourhood and residents of Shabaa concerning unauthorized development on their parcel of land on Shabaa hill, ” the Lands CEC Lentumunai said in a letter to the area chief.
“According to PPA ACT Cap 286 Rule 3 on enforcement, you are hereby guided to communicate to the public to stop further development on the said parcel, and any unauthorized structures to be removed failure to which we shall demolish.”
Kahawa Tungu understands that the county officials made good on their threats and brought down a fence on the land but faced resistance when they attempted to demolish residential structures erected on the land.
The residents are now calling on the national government and officials from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to investigate the matter and help them get justice as it’s the only place they have called home for years.
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