A section of Il Keekonyokie community members has faulted the Ministry of Lands over its handling of the disputed 2,600-acre Kibiko land in Kajiado County, valued at more than Sh100 billion, accusing it of making unilateral decisions while ignoring claims of irregular title processing.
According to Moses Parantai, the chairman of one faction of the Keekonyokie Community Trust, the matter was still pending in court and had not been settled.
“The PS is dismissing our concerns as propaganda, yet officers in his own Ministry are at the centre of this fraud. Instead of addressing the mess, he is defending them,” Parantai claimed.
He further warned Kenyans not to be duped into buying land at Kibiko, insisting that any titles currently being issued were fake.
Their concerns came a day after Lands and Physical Planning Principal Secretary Nixon Korir dismissed as “malicious and unfounded” allegations linking senior officials to fraudulent subdivision and titling of the land held in trust for the Il Keekonyokie community.
“Our attention has been drawn to malicious and unfounded allegations against the Principal Secretary and other officers of the Department in relation to land in Kibiko, Kajiado County, which has been the subject of disputes for more than a decade,” Korir said in a statement on Saturday.
He insisted that the Ministry had acted within the law. “The courts issued a judgment, which the State Department has implemented, and it is not right for those dissatisfied with the ruling to engage in innuendos and falsehoods,” he added.
The Ministry noted that the property, registered under the Keekonyokie Community Trust since 2012, has been tied up in multiple court cases since 2014. It further said a surrender of title was registered in July, paving the way for subdivision based on a members’ register and approvals from the Land Control Board and Kajiado County Government.
However, Kajiado County Lands CEC Hamilton Parseina has accused senior officials at Ardhi House of disregarding both the courts and the county government. He alleged that the fraudulent processing of titles began on August 28 and was concluded on September 15 before being backdated to July 14, two days before the Court of Appeal suspended dealings on the land.
“The fraudsters are government officers based at Ardhi House. As we speak, the fraudulently processed title deeds are being packaged at the titling centre in Ruaraka for onward transmission to Ardhi House,” Parseina said.
He warned that the majority of intended beneficiaries were non-community members and private companies, effectively disinheriting the Keekonyokie.
The Kibiko land saga has split the Keekonyokie Community Trust into rival factions led by Parantai and Moses Monik, both laying claim to legitimacy. Recent protests have seen locals accuse Lands’ officials of colluding with cartels to grab the land.
Residents now want President William Ruto to intervene, warning that if not resolved, the dispute risked spiraling into violence.
“This is not just about titles; it is about our heritage. If the government doesn’t act, we will be left with nothing,” said Lawrence Ndalati, the treasurer of the Keekonyokie Community Trust.
By Rop Janet
