Former employee accuses Tipis' kin of grabbing his land

Late Cabinet minister Justus ole Tipis. [File, Standard]

A former employee of the late Defence Minister Justus ole Tipis has accused the family of attempting to grab his 151-acre property in Narok County.

In documents filed before Nakuru Environment and Land Court Judge John Mutungi, Lameria Karia accused Tipis’ son Eric Lengeseni of hiring goons who forcefully took over his land.

Mr Karia was an employee at the minister’s home between 1996 and 2000 and says a boundary dispute erupted between the Tipis family, the Ntutu family, a medical doctor and himself.

The dispute was presumably solved in 1999, but after Tipis died, his family started laying claim to previously disputed properties. Tipis’ deceased wife Rhoda filed the case on March 15, 2001, seeking rights for her and her children to possess an 830-acre land. 

Rhoda’s death in 2007 saw her son Lengeseni join forces with his sister to fight for the property. 

The case has been delayed by several incidents like the disappearance of court files, judges’ recusals, and transfers of the case from Nairobi to Nakuru, then Narok and back to Nakuru.

The case will be mentioned on July 11.