Eldoret church leaders maintain land ownership in gun drama

The disputed property was the scene of a gun drama last Wednesday

UASIN GISHU: Officials of a church in Eldoret have maintained ownership of land that a local politician claims belongs to him.

Members of International Fellowship of the Clergy (IFC) who spoke during a Sunday service on the disputed plot yesterday dismissed claims by Uasin Gishu ODM official David Songok that he is the rightful owner of the property.

IFC founder Joel Kibos was armed with documents he said proved their ownership of the 0.433-hectares, including a title.

Mr Kibos, who was flanked by Noah Lelei, the church pastor, also had approval documents from the county government to build a church.

The disputed property was the scene of a gun drama last Wednesday during an confrontation between the church leaders and Mr Songok.

Police are currently investigating claims by Kibos that Songok wanted to shoot. However, the politician, a licensed firearm holder, claimed he was defending himself from a surging crowd.

Songok was arrested and his weapon confiscated following the incident.

ERECT FENCE

“We have documents showing we own the land after we successfully applied to the Government, through the Commissioner of Lands, in 1987. The church was allocated the land in 2001 by the clerk of the then Eldoret Municipal Council,” said Kibos.

“I am a founder member of IFC that was started in the late 1970s and registered as a church in 1981. The former owner of the land, PK Kemboi (deceased) advised us to apply for the land through the Commissioner of Lands. We did, and got the land,” he added.

Bishop Francis Sang, Kibos and Patrick Soi, trustees of IFC, are named as lessees in the certificate of lease.

Kibos said they moved to the land in 2001 and put up a school. The school has been growing and now has pupils in Standard Eight.

He claimed the shooting happened when his team came to erect a fence around the land as they prepare to start building the church. He said that was when Songok tried to stop them with the help of some people he had come with.

“This is was our first encounter with Songok. He had come to stop our team from fencing off the land. I explained to him that IFC owned the land and even produced the ownership documents but he was adamant. He then drew out his gun to shoot me,” said Kibos.

He dismissed Songok’s claims that the gun was drawn in self-defence. He said there were only nine members of the church when Songok arrived as opposed to a crowd.

“We have recorded statements with the police. There is no legal tussle over this land and we have even been given the go-ahead to develop it,” he added.

But Songok maintains he has a sale agreement entered into when he bought the land from PK Kemboi in 2000.