Commission warns Rift Valley land issues could cause conflict

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Photo/FILE A residential area in Rift Valley is set on fire during the post-election violence in January, 2008.  

By NOAH CHEPLOEN ncheploen@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Sunday, December 11  2011 at  19:16

Emotive land issues are likely to spark fresh ethnic conflicts in Rift Valley in the run-up to the next General Election, the National Integration Cohesion Commission has warned.

Tension was building up in some of the region’s hot spots over land, according to commissioner Lawrence Bomett.

He cautioned that unless such issues were “properly tackled with the seriousness they deserve” before the polls, they could spark fresh chaos.
Mr Bomett was speaking during a peace meeting at Banita Settlement Scheme in Nakuru County at the weekend.

In Banita, the Kalenjin and other communities are at loggerheads over 16, 000-acres previously owned by a white settler.

Mr Bomett said the government had failed to address the root cause of ethnic violence in the region although it had been presented with important information on the matter.

“The truth is painful but we must say it as it is ...tribalism and landlessness are a major problem facing this country. We must stop cheating ourselves and put all these issues on the table,” he said.

Area DC Joseph Motari appealing for calm warned that the government would not entertain lawlessness adding that police were following clues that would lead to the arrest of suspects.

Residents of Kokwamoi location gave the meeting a wide berth.

“We all know that land is the cause of this problem but we will not talk about today because my hands are tied,” he added.“The law is there to protect everyone whether you are big or small. If you are mentioned we will arrest you and your position in the society won’t matter,” Mr Motari said.

The High Court issued an order two weeks ago barring any action on the land in question.

Banita is a cosmopolitan area although it is dominated by the Kalenjin. Most of the inhabitants are squatters who worked in the sisal estate belonging to a Greek settler.

The conflict started about 10 years ago when the government acquired the property from the Greek owner with the intention of settling the squatters there.

The Kalenjin want to be allocated 60 per cent of the land while the others want the land to be allocated to all the squatters equally.

Area MP Luka Kigen raised the issue in Parliament last year putting to task Lands Minister James Orengo over the cancellation of the first allotment in 2002.

He said some beneficiaries had been unfairly locked out. The land issue has been a source of confrontation between Mr Kigen and Mrs Alicen Chelaite a parliamentary aspirant he defeated in the 2007 polls.

Commissioner Bomett also complained that the government was fanning tension in the employment and posting of civil servants.

In order to reduce tribalism, he said that it was agreed that not more than a third of people from the same tribe should be employed in one office.