November 6, 2014 - Today's News In Gazetikenya

Court orders probe over ranch invasion

DISPUTE | Row over property has sparked vicious Twitter war between CS and lawyer Ahmednasir

A judge has ordered Inspector- General of Police David Kimaiyo to secure a ranch at the heart of a dispute between Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku and a company represented by Mr Ahmednasir Abdullahi. The land owned by Nguruman Limited, a company associated with a Kenyan of European descent, was last Sunday invaded and occupied by armed groups the lawyer accuses of working at the behest of the Cabinet Secretary in charge of security and Kajiado Governor David Nkedianye. Some cottages on the 154,905-acre property were razed when the men moved in with their animals. Aerial photographs taken on Monday showed an airstrip used to fly in tourists was barricaded. Armed men patrolled strategic areas of the property.

A source privy to the dispute said the luxury tented camps and lodges were overrun by the attackers, who also stole property of undetermined value. The invasion has sparked a bitter dispute on Twitter between Mr Abdullahi and Mr Lenku, with the lawyer accusing the CS of abetting “Mugabe-style” land takeovers. However, the CS, through lawyer Donald Kipkorir, accused Mr Abdullahi of damaging his reputation by claiming that he had abused his powers as a public officer by authorising the forcible takeover of the property. Mr Abdullahi also said that the CS had threatened to deport the owner of the land. According to him, all the police officers he had contacted to enforce a court order requiring that the herders be ejected had distanced themselves from the case.

“I have advised my clients to buy arms and defend themselves,” the lawyer said in a tweet posted on Sunday. In an interview with the Nation yesterday, Mr Lenku said he was aware of the dispute between Nguruman Ltd and the Shompole Group Ranch, but denied that he had addressed a meeting of the ranch members on the land on June 25. On claims that he had threatened Kiramatian group ranches to invade Nguruman land. In his tweets, he claimed that on Saturday, the CS led 500 warriors and 75 GSU officers in taking over the property. He added that 76 employees of the company were arrested. On Tuesday, Justice Charles Kariuki, sitting in Machakos, ordered Mr Kimaiyo to evict the armed groups and militia that had taken over part of the land.

The judge also ordered Mr Kimaiyo to investigate the CS, Mr Nkedianye, Dr Swazuri, three MPs and a senator from Kajiado for incitement, invasion and destruction of property. He also ordered the governor to appear in court on Tuesday next week to show why he should not be arrested and his property attached for allowing the invasion of the land in contravention of an earlier order issued on Thursday. On October 13, Mr Abdullahi wrote a protest letter to Dr Swazuri and Mr Nkedianye, accusing them of holding a meeting inside Nguruman and that they incited people to take over the land

Gazeti Kenya

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