A land dispute has disrupted the construction of the Sh500 million Trans Nzoia County headquarters after a prominent family accused the devolved unit of trying to forcefully acquire it.
On Tuesday, youths armed with arrows and machetes reportedly blocked a land demarcation exercise at the contested site. Police responded with teargas and fired shots in the air to restore order.
The teargas smoke is said to have disturbed a nearby bee colony, triggering an attack that left several county staff and journalists nursing stings. County secretary Truphosa Amere is among those treated.
The dispute centres on a 1.25-acre parcel next to the new county offices. The family says it holds a 99-year lease on the land, dating back to 1994.
“We were shocked when the county started building a perimeter wall on our land without consent after talks on a possible purchase collapsed,” the family’s property manager Raphael Ololo said.
Governor George Natembeya has rejected the family’s position, saying the plot belongs to the Department of Agriculture.
“This is public land and we will not allow illegal claims to derail government projects,” he said.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen described the Trans Nzoia dispute as part of wider challenges involving contested lands in the county.
He cited parcels claimed by the National Police Service and Kitale GK Prison, adding that the government is appealing a court decision on one such case.
The controversy threatens to overshadow the county’s flagship project—a five-storey headquarters building with a helipad.
