Catholic Church sued over land

More than 300 residents of Kipkelion West constituency have sued the Trustees of Our Lady of Victoria Monastery, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Catholic Church-owned Pacis Insurance Company over a 2,500-acre piece of prime agricultural land.

In the suit by Kiplaigei Tinga Farm residents and filed by their advocate Kipkoech Ng'etich before Justice Sila Munyao sitting at the Kericho Land and Environment Court, the petitioners claim they were given promises of a better life by the monastery when they set up the institution in 1960.

In the affidavit, sworn by the group's chairman Joseph Tanui, they claim that unknown to them and their forefathers, land parcel LR. NO. 9849 was granted to Robert Wilfred Hudson while land parcel LR. NO 9848 was granted to James Doyle by the Governor of the Colony and Protectorate of Kenya on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on January 1, 1960.

The Cabinet secretary, Ministry of Lands, Housing And Urban Development is named as the first respondent, the National Land Commission is second respondent, and the Attorney General is the third respondent among others.

Justice Munyao directed that all parties appear before him on October 29 for further direction.