Tinderet, Nandi County — Two men were shot dead on Monday in fresh clashes over the hotly contested Kimwani ADC complex land in Tinderet constituency, after more than 500 armed youths stormed private farms belonging to retired senior government officials.
The violent invasion — which saw 20 acres of sugarcane torched on a farm owned by a former presidential escort commander — escalated into a deadly confrontation when police officers clashed with the youths, who were armed with bows, arrows and crude weapons.
Nandi County Police Commander Thomas Ototo confirmed the deaths, saying the officers were attacked while on patrol.
“The armed youth confronted police officers, leading to a confrontation,” Ototo said.
The disputed Kimwani land, once part of an Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) complex, was allocated decades ago to top military and police brass under the former KANU regime. But for years, locals under the Chebonet Squatters umbrella group have laid claim to it, accusing the absentee landlords of sidelining them from settlement.
On Sunday, the simmering land row boiled over as villagers joined the invading youths, setting cane fields ablaze and forcefully occupying parcels owned by the retired officials.
Ototo revealed that he had met the squatters a day earlier, warning them against unlawful invasions and threats to police officers.
“There had been tension in the area, and we had talked to residents to maintain peace. Unfortunately, they defied that advice,” he said.
The police chief said reinforcements have since been deployed to restore calm, with stern action promised against perpetrators of the violence.
The bodies of the two victims, both middle-aged men, were taken to a local morgue as investigations continue.
The clash underscores the deepening tensions in Nandi’s long-running land disputes, where powerful interests, historical allocations, and restless communities continue to collide — often with deadly consequences.
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