Two killed in Kisumu over land dispute

By Simon Achola

Two people have been killed in Kisumu in an incident said to have been ignited by a land dispute. The bodies of the deceased burnt beyond recognition were found in their houses Saturday morning.

Another victim in the attack is nursing critical injuries at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga teaching and referral hospital. Police have launched investigations into the killings.

Residents of the disputed 6,000 acre piece of land in Kanyakwar location woke up to a rude shock, after the brutal killing of their two neighbors.

The victims are suspected to have been killed and their bodies set ablaze in their houses as the ongoing dispute over the ownership of the land that stretches to Kajulu and Kolwa villages took a nasty turn.

The Kanyakwar piece of land has been at the center of dispute for years as various groups claim ownership of the expansive land.

One group claims they were forcefully evicted from the parcel of land in 1970s to allow for the expansion of Kisumu town. Several years down the line the piece of land was however subdivided and allocated to new owners a move that didn’t go down well with the said previous owners.

The vast piece of land is currently a subject of investigation by the National Lands Commission.

Last year a high powered delegation led by the commission’s chair Muhammed Swazuri toured the disputed piece of land on a fact finding mission and its findings are yet to be made public.