- The family of former minister Mbiyu Koinange is locked up in a long running dispute with the family of the late Kikenyi Mpoe over the land that is prime for agricultural production.
- There has been tension at the farm following a recent confrontation between the two groups
Image: COUTESY
A fresh row has erupted over the ownership of the expansive Muthera farm in Njoro being claimed by two groups.
The family of former minister Mbiyu Koinange is locked up in a long-running dispute with the relatives of the late Kikenyi Mpoe.
The farm in Nakuru measures over 4,300 acres and is prime for agricultural production.
There has been tension at the farm following a recent clash between the two groups after members of the Koinange family had an orientation tour for a new group of managers.
A week ago, a group allied to the Mpoe family confronted those accompanying the Koinanges, leading to a near-physical confrontation.
Police were deployed and averted chaos.
The controversy has turned into a security threat, the local administration said.
Mau Narok assistant county commissioner Fredrick Mwenda said they were, however, making efforts to help resolve the row.
“As the administration, we know that the land belongs to the Koinange family and we have no interest in it as claimed by one group,” Mwenda said.
He accused the rival group of harassing the Koinange family.
The administrator cautioned residents against taking the law into their hands and follow laid down procedures in case of disputes.
During the recent incident, the group allied to Mpoe - some armed with crude weapons and swords - disrupted the Koinanges meeting.
Some of the participants were forced to flee as the Mpoes declared the meeting would not go on.
The two groups would separately speak to the media, each laying claim to the land.
Cedric Mbiyu, a grandson of the late Koinange, said they had all the legal documents to prove they owned the farm.
“We have records at the lands offices all over and anyone can go there to confirm that the land indeed belongs to our family,” Cedric said.
He added that the land had belonged to his grandfather since the 1970s, when he bought it legally.
“These other people were employees who took advantage of the situation to later claim they own the land yet they know that it’s not true,” he said.
A family succession case over the land was resolved in court in 2020, after which it was subdivided to beneficiaries.
However, they have been unable to occupy it due to harassment by the rival group.
Francis Mwangi, one of the managers, accused the Mpoe family of interfering with the land yet they had no legal backing to claim its ownership.
He claimed they had been illegally leasing out the land for several years, earning more than Sh60 million.
“It is these proceeds that have been used to fan violence on the farm whenever the Koinange family seeks to take over the land,” Mwangi said.
Samson Nkuruna, another long serving manager, said he had lived on the farm for many years and knows it belongs to the Koinange family.
But Mpoe's son disagrees.
Joseph Mpoe said the land belonged to his father since before independence.
“Muthera farm has been our family property since the 1930s. We have legal documents which the Koinanges claim are fake, but we will not give up in efforts to get what is rightfully ours,” he said.
Mpoe accused the family of using their political influence to claim the disputed land.
“Koinange was the minister for Interior when he first laid claim on our land. He used his influence then to try and take over the land illegally but we have all along resisted that.”
Another relative, Josephat Munke, said the family had lost six members in the fight for the land.
“They have all along used government and security agencies to intimidate us, but we will not change our position which is the truth and legal,” Munke said.
In 2016, human rights activist Moses Mpoe who was shot dead in Nakuru as the dispute over the farm raged.
His brother survived the bullet, but sustained injuries that caused him to lose his sight.