By S, KNA
Residents of Egu Kalinga Village in Mackinnon Ward, Samburu Sub-County, are pleading for justice over a possible permanent eviction from their ancestral land. They want the National Land Commission (NLC) to urgently resolve a five-decade-old dispute involving a 10,190-acre ranch.
The community seeks the return of the land, formerly known as Duruma Group Ranch and bordering Tsavo East National Park, which they claim was grabbed by a powerful chief in the 1970s.
The ranch was formed through the amalgamation of seven villages, Egu, Dupharo, Nyacha, Dokata, Roka, Sirira, and Silaloni, to foster socio-economic development for the pastoralist community.
According to Changoti Lugwe, the only surviving original member of the ranch, the chief abused his position in 1971 by replacing legitimate members with his relatives, renaming the property Dokata Ranch Company, and orchestrating the eviction of the original occupants by game rangers.
Since then, the villagers have been denied access to their land, with numerous petitions over the years yielding no results. Their latest appeal in 2021 led to a meeting with the NLC in March 2025, but no ruling has been issued.
The villagers accuse descendants of the late chief, aided by some Kwale land officials, of illegally expanding the disputed ranch, leaving them landless and unable to graze livestock or build homes.
“What we want is our land back, we have been oppressed for years. The Chief oppressed us and now his children are oppressing us further. They have started to expand the ranch which we had not identified as members to be a ranch. They have expanded the boundaries until we no longer have places to build,” said Lugwe.
“We want justice, the land should revert back to the community. NLC should assist us because we have entered the mouth of a crocodile and we cannot escape,” appealed the octogenarian.
Michael Lugwe, 70, recalled that villagers initially approached the Chief with the noble idea of forming a ranch, which he accepted, even leading the registration process.
“After the ranch was registered the Chief changed the names of members of Duruma ranch and replaced them with his kins since 1972. In the year 2000 we started to demand for justice, eventually our complaint was picked up by NLC through our main petitioner, Changoti Lugwe,” he said.
He urged the Head of State to intervene and return the ranch to the community so that villagers can initiate developments to improve their livelihoods.
Agnes Nyae, 61, said their freedom of movement has been curtailed, claiming they are chased by armed guards and now lack grazing land or space to settle.