Kilgoris MP Julius Sunkuli during a past meeting/COURTESY Kilgoris MP Julius Sunkuli has now called for the immediate suspension of the planned land demarcation exercise in the contested Angata Barrikoi area following violent clashes that left five people dead and property destroyed.
Addressing the press in Nairobi, Sunkuli expressed regret over Monday's incident, in which security officers reportedly used lethal force against protesting residents.
According to the MP, the government should respect constitutional land ownership rights and refrain from interfering with titled land.
"The people of Angata have jealously guarded their land for generations. It cannot simply be taken away," he stated.
Sunkuli also called on Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to transfer security officials from Transmara South, claiming some had overstayed and were now perceived to be serving special interests.
This, he said, should also include officials from the Ministry of Lands.
The lawmaker also sympathised with the families of those killed as he urged the government to compensate them.
While revealing the root of the conflict, Sunkuli explained that it lies in a 6,000-acre parcel of land known as Moyoi, which has been at the centre of a long-standing dispute between two communities.
“This dispute has persisted for years but was finally approaching a peaceful resolution outside of court,” Sunkuli said.
“It had been mutually agreed that the Maasai would receive 1,500 acres, and the Kipsigis would also be allocated 1,500 acres.”
He further noted that the remaining 3,000 acres of the land were not under contention and had been accepted as such by both sides.
However, tensions flared when government surveyors allegedly attempted to carve out the Kipsigis' 1,500-acre portion from land that already had registered title deeds.
“That’s where the conflict began,” Sunkuli explained.
“The surveyors insisted on taking land with existing titles, provoking resistance from the title deed holders, who maintained that their land was not part of the agreed settlement. This action disregarded the constitutional rights of those people.”
Sunkuli argued that the government’s move to demarcate titled land without full consultation amounted to a breach of trust and could derail years of negotiated progress.
Reports indicate that the clashes began when officials from the Ministry of Lands, accompanied by police, attempted to begin the land adjudication process.
Residents, who have long claimed ancestral ownership of the land, opposed the exercise, citing lack of unresolved historical grievances.
The situation escalated quickly as the crowd turned hostile, prompting a heavy-handed police response that ended in bloodshed.
Normalcy started returning to the area Tuesday with a section of leaders from the Kipsigis community visiting the area to engage the residents.
They were led by Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot, Emurua Dikiir MP Johana Ngeno, Nelson Koech (Belgut), and ex-Bomet Governor Isaac Rutto among several others. Narok Governor Patrick ole Ntutu, Narok County Commissioner Kipkech Lotiatia, and top members of the county’s security team had on Monday visited the area to assess the situation.
During his visit, Ntutu announced that the county government will fully cater for the funeral expenses of the deceased and will also cover the hospital bills of those injured in the clashes.
“We mourn with the affected families, and as a county government, we will stand with them during this difficult time. This land issue must be resolved through dialogue, not violence,” said Ntutu.
