Tempers cool as State drops settlement plans

By Kipchumba Kemei

The Government’s decision to shelve plans to resettle about 1,800 families on a farm in Mau Narok has helped tone down a political storm that had been brewing for months.

The families were displaced from their homes following the 2007/08 post-election violence.

While the Maasai see the move as the first ever victory in its quest to protect its land, local political leaders led by Heritage Minister William ole Ntimama have vowed to fight on to reclaim land that formerly belonged to the community.

The community has for long tried to have land it owned before the entry of the British returned in vain.

The controversial 2,264-acre Mau Narok land issue led to the assassination of the area land rights activist Moses ole Mpoe late last year, and arrest of some members of the community who were against the resettlement of IDPs on the land.

Community leaders led by Ntimama have hailed the Government’s decision to shelve the plan and want all the land that was grabbed from the Maasai to revert to them.

"Though welcomed, the Government should now go the extra mile and ensure that all the land that originally belonged to the community is returned," Ntimama told The Standard.

Change perception

Ntimama wants all the leases on land considered to belong to the Maasai to be revised with a view to returning them, accusing the Government of extending the leases, which were expiring in 2004 from 99 to 999 years.

The Narok North legislator, who has been in the forefront of championing the community’s land rights, says he and other community leaders will not rest until their rights are respected. "We have continued to be viewed as aggressors in our own land. The Government should change its perception and make all efforts to have land that belonged to the community reverted as a measure towards addressing historical injustices," added Ntimama.

Last week, Internal Security Minister George Saitoti said plans to resettle IDPs on Kasuku Farm had been called off and asked those who own suitable land elsewhere to offer them for sale for the resettlement programme.

Celebration rally

"The Government wishes to reiterate its desire and commitment to speed up the resettlement of IDPs," said Prof Saitoti during a meeting with Maasai leaders over how to end the seven-month-long standoff between the community and the Government. He was accompanied by his Special Programmes colleague Esther Murugi.

Ms Murugi recently announced the land would be given to either the Agricultural Development Corporation or the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (Kari), a move Maasai leaders are now resisting, as they push for a take-over.

The community, which plans to hold a victory celebration rally at Tipis trading centre on Saturday, has faulted the Government for the decision, saying it will not rest until about 30,000 acres in Mau Narok area reverts to it.

"We will not rest until all the land in the area which are under lease are returned to us," said the community elder Daniel Kiptunen, who claims Maasais were evicted from the land by the colonialists to resettle the whites, who then surrendered the land at Independence to powerful people in Government.

Kiptunen said the Government’s retreat was a victory to the community’s quest for land that was taken from it, adding that since peace had returned to Rift Valley where the IDPs hailed from, they should be assisted to go back to their former farms.

"Giving the land to either ADC or Kari will not make the community abandon its resolve. We shall follow up the matter to its conclusion," added Kiptunen.

Apart from several demonstrations at Tipis, Narok residents recently blocked suspended Higher Education Minister William Ruto who was in the company of Tourism Minister Najib Balala and over 40 MPs from accessing Bomet for prayers in protest over the plans to resettle the IDPs on the land.

Following the Government decision, surveyors who were demarcating the land have been removed and Administration Police from the Rapid Deployment Unit who had camped at the farm have been withdrawn.

"The tension has ruined business here. There is no single day that police have been absent from here. Traders had even abandoned Tipis and Mwisho Wa Lami trading centres for fear of attacks," said George Narok, a local youth leader.

Mr Narok says there is going to be a final onslaught on the land owned by people he calls outsiders in the area.

Narok County Council councillors led by David Setek of Olokurto ward have asked Ntimama to revive the defunct Maasai Association whose objectives included the quest to have all the land that was taken away from the community returned.

"The association championed the rights of the community in international forums. It is time it was revived," he said.

Mr Setek added there was need to renegotiate the 1902 land treaty which led to the community losing most of its land, arguing that the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission should investigate all injustices that were committed against the community before and after Independence.

Meitamei Olol Dapash, who has been in the forefront in resisting plans to resettle the IDPs, says had the programme taken off, it could have changed the political landscape in Narok North.

Political ramifications

"Apart from the land issue, allowing them to resettle in Mau Narok could have had far reaching political ramifications. It meant that they could have elected MPs and councillors of their choice," said Dapash.

Narok South MP Nkoidila Lankas, while welcoming the Government move, wondered why it took long for it to realise that the IDPs were not wanted there.

"It has become a norm that Maasais have to protest for their plight or concerns to be addressed. This is a bad precedent," said Lankas.

But the chairman of the IDPs, Stephen Mwangi of Pipeline Camp in Nakuru, said it was sad the Government beat a retreat, arguing that every Kenyan has a right to live at a place of their choice.

Each of the IDPs was to get 2.5 acres of land. It is not clear when the Government bought the land and whether valuation was done.