This archive report was first published on 17 October 2019.
Published on October 17, 2019, a dispute has been brewing in Kesses, Uasin Gishu county, over a parcel of land that the police have occupied for 11 years.
According to the Kesses farmer's federation, the police took over the land in January 2008 to contain post-election violence, but they have refused to vacate the property since then.
The federation, comprising 4,700 members, claims to have temporarily leased the land and offices to the police, but the police have declined to pay rent or vacate the property.
The farmers, drawn from Kesses, Kapseret, and Ainabkoi constituencies, have been protesting outside the police post, demanding that the police relocate to another government-owned parcel of land in the area.
Retired Inspector General Joseph Boinnet and former police commissioner Matthew Iteere were approached by the farmers to resolve the issue, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.
The farmers have constructed stores on the land to stock farm inputs and maize grain during planting and harvest seasons, respectively.
The federation's chairman, Bernard Melly, claimed that the national police service had pledged to pay Sh27,000 monthly in rent for the offices and land but has not paid any amount since taking over the property.
As of October 11, 2016, the farmers were owed Sh2.9 million in accrued rent, which has since increased to Sh3.6 million.
Uasin Gishu county commissioner, Abdirasack Jaldesa, has urged the residents to stop the protests and use diplomatic means to resolve the matter.
