A group of opinion leaders from Bomet County has raised the alarm over what they term as misleading narratives by Kipsigis politicians and elders regarding the protracted land dispute in Angata Barrikoi, Transmara South, Narok County.
Speaking during a press conference in Bomet town on Friday, activist Wesley Langat, popularly known as Kocha Silibwet, urged Kipsigis leaders to stop inciting their community and instead respect court rulings that have consistently favored the Maasai.
“It is unfortunate that instead of guiding their people with facts and lawful counsel, some leaders are encouraging continued occupation of land that, according to existing legal documentation and multiple court rulings, does not belong to them,” Langat stated.
The disputed 6,300-acre parcel, known as Transmara/Moyoi/2, has been a flashpoint between the Maasai and Kipsigis communities for more than 30 years. The Maasai, through the Ongata Barikoi Farmers’ Cooperative Society, hold title deeds and multiple court victories. Meanwhile, the Kipsigis, represented by the Angata Gaa Cooperative Society, claim ancestral ties and long-term settlement rights.
Langat revealed that courts have ruled in favor of the Maasai in all seven cases brought before them, but some politicians continue to stoke tensions for political mileage.
An out-of-court agreement once saw 1,500 acres allocated to the Kipsigis as a goodwill gesture. However, Langat now warns that this hard-won deal is being undermined by political actors seeking relevance.
“Why are some leaders pushing the community to reject a deal they had already accepted? What changed, and who benefits from continued unrest?” he questioned.
Tensions peaked on Monday during a government-led land demarcation exercise, resulting in violent clashes that left five people dead and several injured, including police officers.
“This wasn’t about ethnicity,” Langat clarified. “It was about enforcing lawful decisions and resisting political manipulation.”
Echoing his sentiments, a local administrator admitted elders fear backlash from youths if they acknowledge the truth, while youth leader John Korir called for calm and urged leaders to put peace before politics.
