Lorien Ranching Company Directors seek justice

Nyandarua,

Friday, January 19, 2024

KNA by Antony Mwangi

Directors and shareholders of the Lorien Ranching Company in Rumuturi, Laikipia County, want the government to intervene and help resolve a standing dispute, that has engulfed the subdivision of the land to members.

The Ranch occupants have had a court battle, spanning more than three decades over the ownership of 11,000 acres in Laikipia.

The Sub-division of the land to shareholders has been derailed by a faction of the directors, who have been moving to court to seek an injunction to block the process over unsubstantiated reasons.

However, James Kuria Kiboi, one of the Vice Chairmen, and Samwel Gichuka (Member), want the government to intervene and ensure the stalemate is resolved on several occasions, the court had directed that the land LR2495 and LR10025/2-Laikipia, be subdivided to about 5,000 shareholders.

“Efforts to seek police protection during the subdivision, have always been blocked with the court injunctions and this is one of the major challenges they have been facing.

“There have been numerous, protracted court cases over the ownership of the farm. It is understood that among the tasks that the Board of Directors is expected to tackle is the implementation of a court ruling on the subdivision of the farm, and to establish who the genuine shareholders are,” said Kuria Kiboi.

The Directors are said to have irregularly recruited shareholders nearly ten times above the genuine ones. The cash, it is alleged, lined up the wallets of some directors, who are now being accused of derailing the process.

Speaking to Journalists, Mr. Kuria and Gichuka want the intervention of the government for the genuine shareholders to get justice.

“Although it will be a big challenge to scrutinize the list for genuine members, the government can help to have fairness to everyone and be transparent in the exercise.”

“The delay in settling all the genuine members is a result of poor leadership and management. During my tenure as an acting Chairman, I had tried to restore sound management,” said Gichuka.

The Company has never held an AGM for the last twenty years, and those who have been purporting to be the directors have been frustrating the shareholders’ demand for meetings, to conceal their financial misdeeds and other mischiefs.

Courtesy; KNA