contingent of police officers Fire Bullets in the Air to Scare Away Squatters on Late Mark Too’s Farm
A contingent of police officers were forced to fire several bullets in the air to scare away hundreds of squatters who had forcibly moved into the 25,000 acres piece of land associated with former influential
Kanu era politician the late Mark Too near Eldoret International Airport.
At least one person sustained serious injuries during the six hour running battle between the squatters and the officers in an incident where dozens of newly constructed temporary houses were brought down.
The officers were deployed to the agricultural land which is under a decade long dispute between the disgruntled landless families and the family of the late Too after they stormed the property into the land for a third time in a row.
Led by their spokesman Benjamin Ronoh, the families said their action stems from a ruling by the Lands and Environment court in Eldoret granting them custody of the land.
As the officers attempted to pull down the temporary structure houses on the vast maize farm, the squatters hurled stones and other missiles towards their direction forcing them to retreat to their vehicles numbering four.
It was after more officers dispatched to the scene of the incident to give backup to the officers on the ground that they managed to eject the squatters under a cloud of teargas before embarking on a demolition exercise.
“We will not relent in our bid to reclaim ownership of this land. This is where we call home and no amount of force will make us give up,” Mzee Stephen Tanui shouted at the officers.
He appealed to the national government to intervene in their plight so that they can get justice saying those charged implementing the court order have been compromised by their tormentors.
According to Tanui, the 1,000 families had been living on the farm for over four decades and that it was unfair to be displaced without being given an alternative place to settle.
During the second incident where the squatters made an attempt to storm the farm, the officers who were armed with bullets and teargas canisters scuttled their plan leading to a day-long running battle.
The officers, while barring the squatters who had prepared to start occupying the land from accessing the farm, had earlier dared them to make good their threat to take over property.
The officers deployed from Langas and Kiambaa police stations respectively, had arrived at the farm in the morning where they declared the squatters as trespassers in the disputed land.
“We have firm instructions not to allow anybody into this land and those who will dare to go against the directive will face full force of the law,” thundered a senior police officer leading the contingent
and who declined to be named
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