Boundary row escalates as two groups clash over Kajiado mining site

Kajiado

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

KNA by Rop Janet 

Mining activities at Enkeseruna Village in Kajiado Central have ceased following wrangling by two group ranches, Torosei and Meto, with each claiming ownership of the mining site.

 Members of the Torosei Group ranch invaded the mining site and stopped all activities until the boundary dispute was settled. 

According to Andrew Sempeta from Torosei, the land under mining has been the center of a boundary dispute since 2018 with both group ranches claiming ownership.

Sempeta complained that the Meto group had gone ahead and undertaken mining activities on the disputed land instead of waiting for the boundary dispute to be resolved. 

He called on the Kajiado Lands Department to resolve the dispute fast and establish clear boundaries to quell mounting tension among the two groups. 

“The land under mining has been under dispute since 2018. Both Torosei and Meto are claiming ownership of the land and no activities should be allowed to take place until the boundary is clearly demarcated.” Sempeta said.

Isiah Lesisa echoed Sempeta’s sentiments adding that no investor should undertake any activities on the contested parcel of land until the Lands department conducted a survey and established clear boundaries.

“There has been a lot of political interference on the disputed land and we are urging all political leaders to keep off this land and allow the Lands department to come and demarcate clear boundaries,” said Lesisa. 

Land dispute cases are common in Kajiado County with most cases revolving around boundaries and double allocation of title deeds. 

The Alternative Justice System was launched in Kajiado in 2021 by Chief Justice Martha Koome to help reduce the backlog of land dispute cases in court.

According to Kajiado Land CECM Hamilton Parseina over 600 land dispute cases have been resolved since the AJS system was introduced.

Courtesy ; K. N. A