Youth, police clash in fresh battle at disputed Sh5b Koinange farm

Police officers deployed to Muthera Farm, following a fresh dispute over land boundary on January 28, 2026. [George Sayagie, Standard]

A long-running ownership dispute over the controversial 4,296-acre Muthera Farm in Mau Narok, Nakuru County, has erupted again.

For the past two days, two groups claiming ownership of the Sh5 billion land have clashed, as one of the parties attempted to fence off the contested property.

Managers representing the family of the late Mbiyu Koinange, a powerful Cabinet minister in the Mzee Jomo Kenyatta administration, clashed with a group allied to Moses ole Mpoe, the late Maasai land rights activist.

The property, which lies along the border of Narok and Nakuru counties, was originally occupied by a colonial settler identified as G Class before independence, after which ownership became contested.

The long-standing ownership dispute has triggered numerous court cases, protests, arrests and sporadic violence over the years.

The killing of Mpoe along with his friend, Parsaaiya ole Kitu, on December 3, 2010, was linked to the land dispute.

Several cases over the farm remain active in court, with interim orders at times restraining development or occupation of the land. 

And as the cases drag on, case of flare-ups have been witnessed as the two sides fight to keep each other away.

In 2023, there was tension after the Mpoe family said they had obtained land possession documents claiming ownership — a move disputed by the Koinange family, who insisted they hold valid title deeds and that the matter should be conclusively resolved through the courts.

Fresh confrontation erupted on Tuesday when managers of the Koinange family —led by Samson Ngururna and Francis Mwangi — arrived at the farm accompanied by a heavy police contingent in lorries.

A bulldozer was deployed to dig a trench intended to serve as a buffer zone and to mark the land boundary.

However, the exercise was thwarted when youths from neighbouring communities, allied to the Mpoe family, mobilised and confronted the team, forcing police to call off the operation.

On Wednesday, the managers returned with a police reinforcement and resumed digging a trench near Olepolose Trading Centre on the eastern side of the expansive property, which borders homes belonging to the Mpoe family.

But the youths once again emerged and confronted them, prompting police to fire in the air and use teargas to disperse them.

As women wailed and tension mounted, a prolonged standoff ensued for the better part of the day.

Eventually, police led by Mauche OCS James Tendet retreated and halted the operation.

Tendet declined to address the press, saying he was a junior officer and could not disclose the authority under which he was acting.

However, while addressing protesters at the scene, Tendet said police were enforcing an order to establish a buffer zone around the land to protect it from intruders—an explanation disputed by the Mpoe family.

The Koinange side said the renewed dispute followed the acquisition of land possession documents by the Mpoe family in 2023.

He said the matter is now before the courts.

“As representatives of the Koinange family, we came with police to provide security as we erect boundaries and begin fencing the land with barbed wire so as to secure it and protect the interests of farmers tilling the land,” said Ngururna.

However, the rival faction led by Joseph Mpoe insisted that the land was inherited from their father after the colonial settler vacated it following the Independence.

“We have been fighting to reclaim this land for the last 48 years. It has claimed many lives, including my late brother Moses Mpoe, who was shot dead at Soilo Junction in Nakuru,” he said. “We have numerous cases in court, and we will not relent.”

He claimed that no police or court orders had been served to the family to justify the boundary-marking exercise, accusing police of acting with impunity and favouring one side.

“As the Mpoe family, we are constantly harassed. We have been arrested many times over this dispute, but we maintain the land is ours and we will not give up even an inch.” 

Raphael Mpoe, son of the late rights defender, said the family has endured years of turmoil, including what he described as fabricated court cases and police brutality, forcing some family members into hiding.

He accused land brokers of using police protection and the influence of some government officials interested in acquiring the land.

Mwangi, the other Koinange family manager, maintained that the team was lawfully creating a buffer zone along the Narok–Nakuru boundary to prevent intrusion.

“Land cannot be acquired through force or violence. We want the Mpoe family to produce their ownership documents and explain how they obtained them,” he said.