Tension remains high in Nandi County following a dramatic confrontation between armed youth and security forces over a land dispute in Kimwani, where police shot dead two young men. The incident has reignited longstanding grievances over land ownership and historical injustice in the area.
The conflict erupted on Monday morning, when hundreds of locals descended on a disputed tract of land straddling the Tinderet-Chemelil border. Their goal: demand eviction of families they claim have occupied what they allege was illegally seized decades ago. The parcel, which spans several hundred acres, is the center of a bitter land debate. Locals maintain the land was wrongly allocated during the presidency of Daniel arap Moi and transferred from the defunct Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) to senior security officers.
According to witnesses, the demonstrators engaged in sustained clashes with police. Authorities say officers from the Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU) were eventually forced to use live ammunition to disperse the crowd after hours of violent confrontation. The result: two men, aged between 24 and 30, were fatally shot. Reports also suggest additional people were hit by gunfire, though their numbers and conditions remain unconfirmed.
Nandi County Police Commander Thomas Ototo confirmed the deaths and said security forces are working to bring stability to the area. “Our priority is to secure the area and prevent further loss of life,” he told Citizen TV via phone.
Among residents, the mood is tense but appeals for justice are rising. Judy Chepchir, of nearby Chebonet, urged political leaders and the government to step in. “This is our ancestral land, and we want justice, not bloodshed,” she said. Others cited what they consider to be historic land injustices.
“Our land was taken from us in the 1960s after independence. At first it went to ADC; then it was allocated to top military officers. We want it back,” asserted Simon Terer from Kimwani.
Displacement remains a major concern. Community members say they’ve been moved to less fertile regions—areas where even their livestock struggle to survive. “We deserve to live where we have always belonged, not in the barren hills where even the grass can’t feed our cows,” said Mathew Kiplelach.
The clashes in Kimwani highlight broader tensions over land ownership in Kenya, where many communities still battle the legacy of colonial and post-independence land reallocations. At present, the authorities are under pressure to broker an immediate resolution and restore calm.
As investigations into the shootings proceed, observers are watching to see whether the government will step up mediation, revisit land claims in the area, and address the root causes of fighting over land, so that such tragic confrontations do not recur.
