Two injured in fresh dispute at Mbiyu Koinange farm

Workers at Muthera farm in Mau Narok, Nakuru County. Tension is high at the controversial farm associated with the family of former Cabinet minister Mbiyu Koinange following an attack in which two people were injured on January 21, 2019. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The two, who sustained panga injuries, are receiving treatment at the Nakuru Level Five Hospital.
  • Following the incident, rowdy youths lit bonfires and barricaded the Njoro-Mau Narok road.
  • Previously, land conflicts at the expansive farm have turned bloody.

Tension is high at the controversial 4,926-acre Muthera farm associated with the family of former Cabinet minister Mbiyu Koinange following an attack in which two people were injured.

A fresh dispute erupted between herders and farmers at the farm on Monday evening following the attack.

According to Mau Narok MCA Jackson Githua, the two were attacked by morans following a disagreement over an issue that was not immediately clear.

PANGA INJURIES

The two, who sustained panga injuries, are receiving treatment at the Nakuru Level Five Hospital.

"The two were taken to the Nakuru Level Five Hospital with panga cuts. We are trying to establish the cause of the disagreement, but meanwhile l call for calm," said Mr Githua.

According to Mr Githua, the youth were attacked while working on the farm on Monday evening.

Following the incident, rowdy youths lit bonfires and barricaded the Njoro-Mau Narok road at Mau Narok trading centre for hours on Monday evening.

SECURITY DEPLOYED

It took the intervention of officers from the Anti Stock Theft Unit deployed in the area to restore calm.

Following the standoff, security has been boosted at the farm.

In the past, land conflicts at the expansive farm have turned bloody.

The controversial farm belongs to Mr Koinange’s family but members of the Maasai community claim that it is their ancestral land and accuse some powerful individuals in President Jomo Kenyatta’s administration of grabbing it.