A serious internal fight has broken out at the National Land Commission, with insiders accusing Vice Chairperson Julie Ouma Oseko of leading a sustained campaign against Chairman Abdillahi Saggaf Alawy barely months after the new leadership took office.
The conflict has reportedly divided commissioners and senior officers into rival camps, with disagreements now spreading into commission meetings, committee work, legal opinions, administrative decisions and the handling of sensitive land files.
Insiders claim the tension has moved beyond an ordinary disagreement between senior officials and developed into a wider struggle over control of the commission’s internal processes and access to major decisions.
Oseko was elected vice chairperson shortly after the new commission assumed office in March 2026 and later took charge of the Legal Committee, placing her close to court cases, legal advice and disputed land matters.
Her position gives her influence over issues touching compulsory acquisition, historical land claims, public land disputes and compensation cases involving billions of shillings.
According to insiders, the vice chairperson has repeatedly challenged decisions associated with the chairman and attempted to build support among commissioners and senior officers inside the institution.
The internal complaints further claim that some officers now identify themselves with either the chairman or the vice chairperson, making routine commission work increasingly difficult and creating suspicion around ordinary administrative decisions.
Several insiders believe Oseko is being encouraged by people outside the commission who want to weaken Alawy and gain influence over sensitive land decisions moving through the institution.
The claims have raised concern because NLC sits at the centre of some of Kenya’s most valuable and politically sensitive land matters, including compulsory acquisition for roads, railways, housing projects and other major government programmes.
Control of legal opinions, meeting agendas and committee recommendations can affect how files move, which claims receive attention and how compensation disputes are handled before they reach the full commission.
Oseko joined NLC after a long career in the Judiciary, where she served as a magistrate, Chief Magistrate, Deputy Registrar of the High Court and Assistant Director at the Judiciary Training Institute.
She later headed the Malindi Law Courts and handled judicial work before moving into the land commission following her nomination and approval.
Her appointment had already attracted questions from some land professionals who argued that the new commission included too many lawyers and public administrators without enough technical land experts.
The current internal fight has now placed her conduct and leadership style under closer attention, particularly because she occupies the second most powerful position at the commission.
Chairman Abdillahi Alawy has remained focused on steering the new commission through inherited land disputes, compensation claims and institutional problems left behind by previous administrations.
The chairman took office at a time when the commission was already under pressure over delayed land claims, court cases, compulsory acquisition disputes and accusations of weak accountability during earlier terms.
The reported campaign against him now threatens to distract the commission from clearing those files and rebuilding public confidence in an institution repeatedly linked to controversial land decisions.
Insiders say the growing hostility has affected communication between senior offices and created uncertainty among staff who depend on clear direction from the chairman, commissioners and secretariat.
The conflict is reportedly becoming visible during internal discussions, with legal and administrative questions increasingly interpreted through the rivalry between the two offices.
The National Land Commission cannot function properly when its top leadership is divided over authority, procedure and control of sensitive files requiring collective decisions.
The institution is responsible for managing public land on behalf of national and county governments, reviewing historical injustices and advising on compulsory acquisition for public projects.
Those duties place NLC directly inside disputes involving communities, private developers, state agencies, politicians and companies seeking access to valuable land.
A prolonged internal war could delay compensation, stall public projects, complicate court cases and create openings for outside interests seeking favourable decisions from a divided commission.
The accusations against Oseko have therefore become more serious than a personal disagreement, since they involve the stability and independence of an institution handling land worth billions of shillings.
Insiders are now watching whether the vice chairperson will continue challenging the chairman or whether the commission will restore a clear working structure under Alawy’s leadership.
The fight has emerged only a few months into the commission’s term, raising concern that the leadership could spend its early years battling internally instead of addressing the land problems it was appointed to handle.
What began as tension between the chairman and his deputy is now being described inside NLC as a full internal war, with staff and commissioners being pulled into a confrontation that is already disrupting the institution.