Tension is high at a Chepchoina farm in Endebess, Trans Nzoia County following the brutal murder of a man at Kaboto farm in Chepchoina phase two, that has witnessed conflicts for some time. Peter Barasa Sanyanda had visited the area and was in the process of purchasing some two acres of land from his friend Richard Sirengo, in the company of the village administrator Richard Masinde, when they were attacked by assailants with bows and arrows.
The two ran for their lives, leaving the deceased behind, who was crudely beaten and killed on the spot by the attackers. The Chepchoina scheme land was initially occupied and owned by settlers who left it for people who worked for them. Many issues have arisen surrounding the scheme and several communities are still fighting for full ownership, including Bukusus, Pokots and Turkanas.
In the same piece of land at Kaboto, a local was killed in 2015 when some herders infiltrated his farm and ate all the produce he had cultivated. When he asked why they did that, they left but returned at night, set his house on fire and killed him.
The first phase of settlement was done at Chepchoina Phase One, where communities such as Turkanas and Sabaots were settled, while the next phase was supposed to settle Bukusus and Turkanas. According to village elder Richard Makokha, the government is to blame since they are playing a political game and haven’t resettled the communities and issued them with title deeds, despite having allotment letters.
The deceased’s brother John Sanyanda has condemned the killing, saying the government should use all available means to arrest and prosecute the culprits. He noted that despite the long standing conflict, no tangible efforts have been made to resettle the communities.
Local leaders led by Trans Nzoia woman representative Janet Nangabo and Keiyo MCA Emmanuel Waswa, whose ward borders West Pokot, have condemned the killing, claiming the security officers in the County are sleeping on the job.
Nangabo said she’ll present the matter in the National Assembly and compel Interior CS Dr. Fred Matiang’i to explain the rising cases of insecurity, adding that since a new County police commander was deployed to Trans Nzoia, insecurity incidences have increased tremendously.
She cited the case where a Kibabii university student was shot dead by police officers at Namanjalala in Kwanza sub county among others. “My people won’t cry and yet all I do is cry along with them. The County police commander must take action and end the rising insecurity cases within the County,” she said. MCA Waswa urged the government to reshuffle all police officers in the County.
On his part, the County police commander Francis Ochieng promised to dig deeper and bring the perpetrators of the killing to book, insisting that no stone will be left unturned. He pleaded with the communities at Chepchoina to maintain peace as officers look into the matter.
