Row simmers along Nandi, Luhya border

Disputes over land are at the core of tribal clashes along the borders of Kakamega and Nandi counties. In the latest spat between the Luhya against the Nandi, one person was killed, houses torched and property destroyed as two families faced off over a disputed land in Kuvasali area last Sunday.

The dispute between two neighbours, Joel Kosgey, who was killed in the fight, and Mulanda Piri, who was arrested and arraigned in court, appeared to escalate as members of the two communities engaged in blame games. The matter is pending before the Kapsabet Magistrate’s court.

In 1980 and 1992, there were tribal clashes between the Nandi and Luhya within the Kuvasali-Nandi escarpment. Even though the clashes were blamed on politics, failure by the courts to settle land cases and insecurity caused by poverty has forced into people taking the law into their hands.

“Many residents are ignorant of the process involved in changing ownership of land through succession leading to many conflicts,” Injendi Malulu, MP for Malava.

“When one conflict is not solved, it may escalate into major conflicts,” he says. Speaking after the killing of Kosgey, Malulu said tension created by the incident could have been avoided had courts moved with speed to resolve succession and land boundary disputes. Mosop MP Kirwa Stephen Bitok, while condemning the incident, said lack of cooperation between the two communities in resolving boundary issues is the causes of the land and tribal clashes. “What was been seen is a replica of what happened in 2002 where many lives were lost. We will hold Baraza next week to,” Bitok said.
“Investigations should be carried out to stem such cases,” said Bitok, who supported Nandi Governor Cleophas Lagat’s call for calm.

Lagat and Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya said no stone would be left unturned in efforts to resolve the row. “Residents should not take law into their hands because we have courts of law,” Lagat said. “This is a known land dispute between the two families. It should not be allowed to escalate and divide communities that have always lived peacefully,” Oparanya said.