'We have undergone untold suffering since our arrival'

Busia

By Antony Gitonga

The Isakhakia chairman Ali Farah has tens in his custody tomes of correspondence between various Government ministries and the community.

He says they have lodged repeated claims to secure the 15,000 acres of land bequeathed by the colonial Government.

The land stretches from from Karate to River Malewa, through present day Naivasha town, Banda estate to the shores of Lake Naivasha.

Most of that land is now under Government institutions or inhabited by locals.

Among the institutions that allegedly occupying the Isahakia land is the Naivasha GK Prison, Dairy Training Institute (DTI) and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).

Others, according to Farah, are KARI, Naivasha Boarding Primary School, which they claim was built by the community, part of Kabati estate and a section of Panda Flowers where the community buried their fore fathers.

"We have undergone untold suffering since our arrival in Kenya, and we wonder who will listen to us," Farah laments.

"Some of our kin who got financial support fled the country, but many were left behind and have ended up in mental institutions,"

Early this year, some members of the community attempted to take over part of KARI land, which had been leased to a flower farm.

The confrontation nearly turned chaotic, forcing area DC Ms Hellen Kiilu and administration police to intervene.

The DC later directed all parties to furnish her office with legal documents proving ownership of the 1,000-acre land.

"KARI says that they have title deeds to the controversial land and we need concrete evidence from all parties involved," Kiilu said.

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