The government has offered to pay millions of shillings in compensation to 1,000 families who for over 30 years have been facing eviction from their land.
A report by The Standard on Sunday, March 21, indicated that the government had offered to pay the families up to Ksh19 million each.
The money was awarded to the families who were facing eviction from Nyakinyua Farm in Trans Nzoia County.
The land estimated to be 2,050 acres and valued at Ksh2 billion has seen two factions fight over its ownership for years.
The parcel was reportedly handed to a group of women, identified at the time as Nyakinyua Women Dancers, by the late founding President Jomo Kenyatta.
A tussle i said to have emerged over the ownership of the land after the women split into two opposing groups nearly 30 years ago; the Nyakinyua Women Ltd and Nyakinyua Mugumo Tree Limited.
Nyakinyua Women Ltd sued Nyakinyua Mugumo for allegedly interfering in its affairs with regards to the management of the land.
Nyakinyua Mugumo Tree Limited claimed that they had suffered arrests and detention and went on to demand millions in damages.
Rift Valley Regional Coordinator George Natembeya confirmed that the government would pay the money awarded to the families living on the land.
He further noted that the state would lead the exercise of issuing the families with legitimate title deeds for the parcels they occupy.
The families were elated with the new development noting that they had spent millions on lawyer fees, trying to prevent the demolition of their houses.
"God has finally heard and answered our prayers. We have been living in fear of eviction, and we thank the President for coming to our rescue," celebrated one of the residents.
"We have wasted a lot of money to fight court battles filed by some greedy individuals, and we are excited that the government has come to salvage us from uncertainties," added another.
