Land conflicts have become a thorny issue in Kisii and Nyamira Counties at large, accounting for 70% of cases handled in the courts.
Speaking to our reporter, Kisii County lands executive secretary Moses Onderi terms land grabbing, inheritance issues and brokers of land selling being the backbone of all the tussles.
“The fact remains that grabbing is rampant in kisii, some lands registry officials collaborate with grabbers in taking away some plots where their wish lies using any means including forceful eviction” said Onderi.
Onderi further pointed an accusing finger to slow ruling of cases related to land tussles as the catalyst to emerging counter accusation on land ownership.
Non involvement of family members in selling the land parcels has also been noted as the key cause of serious conflicts majorly when the land marketable.
Kisii court-based advocate Onderi Bigogo says that the issue of land has even brought bad blood within close relatives and even between brothers.
“People have been killed for being accused of witchcraft because somebody has an interest to have their land,” said Bigogo who also accuses old parents in not having the divisions of their huge chunks of land to avoid conflicts.
At one time, Lands Commission team came to Kisii to effect the repossession of grabbed land parcels, made several surveys a process that met revolt and never kicked off.