Community to sue Britain over land

By Vincent Mabatuk

Nakuru County

The Kipsigis community plans to sue the British Government over unresolved historical land injustices committed by the colonial government.

Community leaders yesterday said the colonial government forcefully evicted thousands of people from their ancestral land in Kericho to pave way for tea plantations.

Elders, Church leaders and professionals from the Kipsigis and Maasai communities met at Jumuia Guest House in Nakuru.

Moi University lecturer Paul Chepkwony said the community was in the process of filing the case at the International Court of Justice.

He said they would push for compensation for those evicted from their land.

Prof Chepkwony said the thousands of evictees have not been settled or compensated. "They are living on Government land in the outskirts of Kericho town and other places in the South Rift as squatters," he said.

He termed the 999-year land leases given to multi-national tea companies, illegal adding they were obtained through force.

Major Tea farms

He said several attempts to petition the British Government to compensate them have been fruitless as they always keep pushing the buck to the Kenya Government.

James Finaly and Unilever Tea companies are some of the largest tea firms in Kericho.

Maasai elder Joseph Olekaria said the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission should not limit their work to atrocities committed after independence.

Mr Olekaria said the Maasai lost huge chunk of land to the colonial masters and the commission should collect views on such injustices.

The Bethuel Kiplagat-led commission is mandated to collect evidence of historical injustices from independence.