Why land remains an emotive issue that could reignite violence in Mt. Elgon

Bungoma County Commissioner Maalim Muhammed (right) at Chepyuk Grounds in Mt. Elgon in August 2015 during a security meeting. The meeting was meant to find a lasting solution for the insecurity problem in the area. PHOTO: FILE

BUNGOMA: In mid 1960s, the government established a resettlement plan for the Mosop, also called the Ndorobo’s, a clan of the Sabaot community.

The reasons were multi fold: First, it was a means to protect the Mosop from recurring attacks from groups living in Uganda.

Secondly, it was a way to incorporate the Mosop into Kenya and provide them with state services, since the moorland they inhabited was remote and only accessible by foot through the forest.

Third, and most importantly, the Mosop inhabited a water catchment area, which the Government wanted to preserve and protect.

Consequently, in 1971 the government started the first resettlement process, called Chepyuk I (1971 -1974). The Sabaot are divided into two sub tribes: the Soy (also called Chemwek) and the Mosop.

The resettlement plan was aimed at relocating the Mosop from the moorland to places further south close to the Soy homelands.

A series of factors such as poor preparations, lack of title deeds and corruption led to dissatisfaction among the Mosop and envy from the Soy, forcing the government to announce a second resettlement phase in the 1980s (Chepyuk II) and ultimately Chepyuk III (1993-2006), but the problems remained unresolved.

In addition, the long duration of those resettlement phases led to new problems, mainly that the situation on the ground (population, economic activity) changed and no longer corresponded to the planned conditions.

When Bungoma County Commissioner Maalim Mohamed held a public baraza at Kopsiro recently, he refuted claims that there are more than 7,000 landless people in Chepyuk settlement scheme.

Maalim said only 3,000 people have been vetted and qualify to get the land once the government embarks on a resettlement.

“About 4,000 families have already been settled in phase 1, 2 and 3 at the controversial Chepyuk settlement scheme and others have been settled at Patakwa farm in Kinyoro sub-location, Trans Nzoia County,” he said.

Maalim confirmed that 1,500 people have benefited from Chepyuk phase 1 settlement scheme, 620 families from phase 2 and 1,732 from phase 3 in Emia location.

“Squatters on phase 1 and 2 benefited from five acres each while those who settled on phase 3 and the 260 families taken to Patakwa farm in Trans Nzoia got two and half acres each,” he said.

Maalim warned that many residents at the Chepyuk settlement scheme were still in possession of illegal firearms.

“We want all illicit guns in the wrong hands handed over to security agents, failure to do so will attract harsh punishment,” he said.

He lamented that majority of residents in Mt Elgon are secretive.

“They are not willing to disclose suspects still in possession of illegal guns,” he said.