Chiefs in trouble for ‘squandering evictee cash’

By Fred Kibor

Elgeyo/Marakwet, Kenya: Drama unfolded at Kasugut village in Marakwet East district after a chief and his assistant were held hostage over the alleged loss of Sh400,000 given to a squatter evicted from Embobut forest.

An evictee claimed he had struck a deal with the two administrators so that they would protect him from his kin who wanted the money shared out among the entire clan.

He said the clan had five of its members listed as squatters living in the forest and each received Sh400,000 as compensation from the Government, bringing the total amount to Sh2 million.

“It was agreed, in a meeting bringing together all kinsmen, that the five members that received compensation were to each take Sh20,000 and surrender the remaining Sh380, 000 to be shared by the clan,” said Paul Cherono, a villager.

It was passed in the meeting chaired by clan elders that since the five beneficiaries inherited the forest land from their forefathers who moved to the forest as squatters, they were just trustees of the land that was communally owned.

However, this did not sit well with one of the beneficiaries who opposed the move to share the money among clan members and silently withdrew his money.

Locked up

“He withdrew the money from Kenya Commercial Bank branch in Kapsowar town and approached the two administrators to offer him maximum protection from the clan and gave each of them Sh100,000 for the job,” claimed Cherono. “Clan members got wind of the information and irate members mounted a manhunt for him,” he said.

In Kasagut village any decision given by the elders is regarded absolute law.

The beneficiary was later found before being held in an abandoned house where he was grilled for two days. He then revealed that he had shared the amount with the two administrators.

The chief and his assistant were reported to have vanished after learning that the beneficiary had been caught and was being held.

The villagers consequently staged a search for the two chiefs and they were later found at different trading centres before being frog marched back to the village and locked up for five hours while waiting for the elders to give their verdict on the matter.

Armed police officers from Tot police station rescued the chief after receiving distress calls.

Area OCPD Elijah Maina said they are investigating the circumstances under which the administrators shared the squatters’ money.

“The chiefs alerted us their lives were in danger and we swiftly went and rescued them from the angry villagers,” said the OCPD.