CS Farida Karoney’s land dispute deepens

Lands Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney holds a press conference at Ardhi house on February 19, 2018. She is involved in a land dispute with Athletics Kenya Youth Development Programmes chairman Barnabas Korir. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Ms Karoney presented a title deed for the 16-acre parcel she acquired from a Mr Linus Kogo last November.
  • Mr Korir maintains that the acquisition of the land’s title deed by Mr Kogo was fraudulent.

A dispute between Lands Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney and a family at Kamoiywo in Nandi County deepened with both parties claiming full ownership of the property.

Ms Karoney, through her lawyers Kipkosgei Choge and Co Advocates, on Wednesday showed the Nation a title deed for the 16-acre parcel she acquired from a Mr Linus Kogo last November.

But Athletics Kenya Youth Development Programmes chairman Barnabas Korir, who is also laying claim to the property, told the Nation that jointly with his brothers, Amos and William, they own part of the land that has already been fenced off by the CS following a court order.

Court documents seen by the Nation show that the property is registered as Nandi/Kamoiywo 760.

“This parcel of land belonged to the family of the late Abraham Titomet Tenei, our father, for many years until his demise in 1996.

"He bought it from the late Maria Kobot Jelagat and it was only recently fenced off forcefully after the CS wrongfully obtained the said title deed,” Mr Korir said in an interview at Nation Centre.

TITLE DEED

Last week, Kapsabet Senior Resident Magistrate Kesse Cherono ruled that the district surveyor and land registrar move to the disputed plot and survey it for purposes of establishing boundaries and fencing it off.

This is after the CS sued Mr Korir and his brothers in her bid to take over the property.

“Details of the purchase can be confirmed in the Kapsabet Lands Registry. The title deed for that parcel has changed three times, from the original owner Maria Kobot Jelagat to her grandson Linus Kogo through succession, and I bought it from him,” Ms Karoney said.

However, Mr Korir, through his lawyer Wanjiku Karuga, maintains that the acquisition of the land’s title deed by Mr Kogo was fraudulent and should therefore be declared illegal.