Land activist oppose building of the affordable houses on Purko land

Narok, Tuesday, May, 30, 2023

KNA by Ann Salaton

A land activist in Narok county is threatening to mobilize the community to protest the alleged donation of 200 acres of land belonging to the Purko Clan for the affordable housing programme.

Professor Meitamei Dapash said the Purko General Assembly that manages the land is the only entity legalized to do transactions on behalf of the people alleging that no one has involved the clan in the land deals.

“We are not opposed to the whole idea of an affordable housing programme, but we will not allow the houses to be built on our land without consent,” he said.

Dapash, who vied for the senatorial position but lost in the last year’s generals asked the departments concerned to first conduct public participation and sensitize the residents on their intention before initiating the programme.

“For you to come and take our land in the name of an affordable housing scheme is irrelevant, because in the first place we do not know who will benefit from the houses,” he questioned.

He explained that the land allegedly marked for the construction is 100 acres at Limanet area and another 100 acres at the Sheep and Goat land, all located in the outskirts of Narok Town.

The activists explained that the Purko clan has eight sections namely Mara, Mosiro, Naikarra, Lower Mau, Upper Mau, Melelo, Ololulunga and Naroosura whose representatives sit at the Purko General Assembly.

“I do not think the Maasai community is in need of the affordable housing programmes. We read malice in the whole programme and we will mobilize our people to come out strongly to protest the whole idea,” he said.

Dapash reiterated that the Maasai Community has suffered land grabbing since independence saying they will not allow their land to be given out without their consent again.

His sentiments come few months after Narok Governor Patrick Ntutu and the Urban and Metropolitan Development Director Engineer BK Njenga toured the Sheep and Goat land as they inspected the land’s suitability for building the cheap houses.

Ntutu said they had held a meeting with the Narok Council of Elders who agreed to hand over the land to the government to implement the initiative.

Courtesy ; K. N. A