- Fresh clashes broke out at Muthera Farm in Mau Narok.
- Police battled youth during a heated land dispute.
- The farm is valued at about KSh 5 billion.
- The Koinange family moved in to fence the land.
- Locals insist the land belongs to their ancestors.
Tension flared again at the 4,296-acre Muthera Farm in Mau Narok, Nakuru County, after violent confrontations erupted between police officers and local youth.
The unrest is linked to a long-running ownership battle over the land, which is estimated to be worth nearly KSh 5 billion.
Trouble began on January 29 when the family of the late former minister Mbiyu Koinange arrived at the property with plans to fence it.
Their move was quickly met with resistance from residents and young people from the area, who blocked the exercise and demanded that the family leave the land.
As tempers rose, anti-riot police were dispatched to the farm to contain the situation.
Clashes broke out as officers tried to separate the two sides, the Koinange family representatives and members of the local community, turning the area into a scene of chaos.
The Koinange family insists the farm forms part of the late minister’s estate, which is valued at about KSh 17 billion.
They rely on a 2020 court succession decision that listed Muthera Farm among the properties under the estate.
On the other hand, the family of the late Kikenyi ole Mpoe, supported by sections of the Maasai community, strongly disputes the claim.
They argue that their families have occupied and legally documented the land since the 1930s, long before the Koinange ownership claim emerged.
The latest violence comes only days after a major legal twist in the case.
On January 27, Court of Appeal Judge Gatembu Kairu stepped aside from handling a related KSh 2.4 billion portion of the dispute, citing a possible conflict of interest.
Muthera Farm has remained a hotspot for conflict for decades.
Previous confrontations over the land have claimed several lives, with the most recent death reported in March 2025.
With court battles still unresolved and emotions running high, residents fear more violence could erupt unless a lasting solution is reached.
For now, the disputed land remains under heavy security as both sides hold firm to their claims.
