Rangwe land dispute leaves one teacher dead

A prolonged land dispute between two teachers turned tragic after one of them died at Wi Kawiti village, Gem Sori Kachiena location in Rangwe sub-county.

Area Chief Peter Oula said the deceased Joseph Owuoth was allegedly killed on Sunday when violence erupted between him and the head teacher of a comprehensive school in the area.

The chief said matters came to a head after Owuoth found that the suspect who is on the run had ploughed the land and destroyed his maize that was due for harvesting.

This led to a verbal exchange between the two teachers before it escalated to a physical confrontation.

“Owuoth had just come from church and found that the head teacher had tilled his land before they engaged in a bitter altercation,” Oula said.

The chief narrated that the deceased’s brother prevailed upon the duo, easing the tension temporarily.

Owuoth is said to have left the scene of the confrontation to attend to domestic chores elsewhere.

But after a few hours, the head teacher is said to have mobilised his friends, including his brother and allegedly launched a counterattack against Owuoth and his wife.

Reports indicate that Owuoth sustained a fractured hand and serious head injuries. His wife also sustained deep panga cuts and injuries on various parts of the body.

The chief said it is then that Owuoth’s brother received a phone call about the counterattack that had left his brother in a critical condition.

The retired teacher and his wife were rushed to Kisii County Referral Hospital but he died a few minutes later.

The wife was admitted in a critical condition.

“I went to the scene and found broken wooden clubs. The suspects had run away,” Oula said.

Oula said the head teacher claimed that he was admitted to a hospital in Sori Town, Migori County.

This comes after the court scheduled the land dispute case on February 18, 2026.

“They had taken the matter to court, and they were supposed to attend a court proceeding on February 18,” Oula said.

He said previous efforts to resolve the long running land dispute had proven difficult.

Rangwe Police Commander Magdalene Chebet said they had begun investigations and were pursuing the two teachers implicated in the murder.

“Our team of investigators is on the ground to investigate the matter. Some of them will go to Kisii, where one of the victims is receiving medical care,” Chebet said.