By Andrew Mbuva
Senator Richard Onyonka of Kisii County has sounded the alarm over a disturbing surge in deadly land disputes across Kenya, calling it a “national crisis” that demands urgent government intervention.
Raising the matter before the Senate this afternoon, Onyonka detailed horrifying incidents where entire families have been wiped out in violent attacks stemming from long-standing land feuds. He urged the Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations to take swift action to prevent further bloodshed.
In April 2025, five members of a single family were brutally killed in Metembe village, Masaba South Sub-County, Kisii County, in a mob attack triggered by a bitter land conflict. Their homes were torched, and only two family members managed to escape the rampage.
In another chilling incident, Mr. Evans Obiero and his wife Kerubo fled their home with their children after receiving death threats from armed gangs over a polygamy-fueled land dispute. The threats were formally reported under OB No. 05/13/04/2025 at Nyamasibi Police Post, but no immediate action was taken.
The violence isn’t confined to Kisii. In Siaya County, nine members of a family were burned alive in an arson attack on April 22, 2025, in Sigomere, Ugunja Sub-County—yet another tragedy rooted in a land feud.
Senator Onyonka has tasked the Committee, chaired by Senator Fatuma Dullo, to not only investigate these killings but also to explain the government’s immediate and long-term security plans to protect vulnerable families. He also questioned the apparent delays and inadequate responses from law enforcement agencies, despite victims lodging formal complaints.
“The Committee must tell us whether the Government is considering establishing a national taskforce or commission to address the root causes of these recurring and now deadly land-related conflicts,” Onyonka emphasized.
The Senate now awaits a full report detailing ongoing investigations, prosecutions, and proposed policy interventions—including ways to mediate and resolve inheritance disputes linked to polygamous family setups.
