Residents protest against land-grabbing cases

By Robert Mutasi 

The residents of West Pokot County's pastoral community have protested the increase in land-grabbing cases in the area.

According to the locals, cartels are exploiting community land for business ventures without the consent of the community. 

They called on the government to investigate the matter of cartels who are utilizing their land. 

The protesters accused leaders and Land Department officials of colliding with cartels. 

Concerns about organizations misusing community land without appropriate public involvement have been voiced by the communities. 

The residents accused leaders of neglecting their duties of protecting their lands. 

Speaking after presenting a petition on land grabbing in the area, the residents said that the peaceful demonstration tends to make their grievances heard by leaders.

They protested, calling on land grabbers to desist from their vices. 

Locals pressed the county government for justice, with the assistance of some human rights activists. 

They said they will send another petition to the county assembly and then the county commissioner after presenting the first one to the senate. 

They held the West Pokot County Commissioner accountable for the entire land-grabbing incident. 

"So today we are here not as citizens who break the law, we want justice to be done to the people of West Pokot for the 34 million that was stolen by the people of the land, our problem is the people of the land from Nairobi to here, " stated Kimutai Kirui, a human rights activist who was accompanied the residents in the protest. 

"We are waiting for the person from the senate to take a petition, then we go to the county assembly and finally we finalize with the county commissioner, because this whole problem is not with the police or the citizens, it is with the county commissioner's office," he said.