Elders claim president was duped

The controversy surrounding the establishment of a university in Bomet county continued to escalate after a section of elders claimed that President Uhuru Kenyatta was duped.

Speaking in Bomet town yesterday, the elders said the President being given a lease certificate instead of a title deed is "the joke of the year".

They wondered how a document, that should have been issued by the Ministry of Lands through the National Land Commission (NLC), was issued by the Ministry of Finance.

"We condemn the whole charade by a section of leaders who gave the President a false document. The title is purportedly issued to Bomet University College, an institution that is non-existent," said William Kettienya.

They maintained that the county government, which is registered as the leasor, did not apply to lease the land.

"The leasor is in the dark and we wonder how this was done. There is no land in Bomet town that matches the hectares stated in the lease certificate," Kettienya said.

He accused county MPs of ganging up to trash the public participation exercise that had resulted in an agreement that the campus would be established in Sigor.

NOT CONSULTED

The elders have now appealed to Governor Isaac Ruto to seek an appointment with the President where they can air their grievances.

Mr Ruto also expressed his surprise that the process of acquiring the title was done without consultation, adding that the county government, which holds the land in trust, had not been consulted before the 99-year lease was issued.