Hundreds of residents in Laikipia staged protests on Saturday, demanding to be settled on a 2,000-acre farm with disputed ownership.
The locals, who have lived as squatters on the property for many years without being asked to leave, held a demonstration at the farm, insisting on their right to settle there. They claimed that the farm’s original owner, a settler named Irene Ida Norman, passed away in 1959, three years after her land lease had expired.
Wilson Leshao, speaking on behalf of the group, expressed their shock when an Asian individual recently fenced off 260 acres of the 2,192-acre farm, located in the Kisiriri area of Salama Ward, Laikipia West constituency.
The squatters called for a meeting with Governor Joshua Irungu, highlighting the numerous challenges they have faced over the years, including having their homes burned down. One protester, Miriam Waithera, stated that the fencing of the land has left her unable to access her vital documents and clothes.
She added that the demonstrators are considering legal action against the person who fenced off the land, accusing them of eviction without a court order.
