Conflict Escalates at Sh5bn Koinange Property Amid Ownership Tussle

Fresh violence erupted at the disputed 4,296-acre Muthera Farm in Mau Narok, Nakuru County, as youth clashed with police over a long-standing ownership battle valued at KSh 5 billion. 

Tension peaked when the family of the late powerful Minister Mbiyu Koinange arrived at the farm on January 29 to begin fencing the property. They were met with hostility from local youth and residents who claim the land is their ancestral heritage.

Anti-riot police were deployed to the site after the two rival groups—the Koinange family and members of the local community—clashed over the fencing exercise.

The Koinange family maintains the land is part of the late minister’s KSh 17 billion estate, supported by a 2020 succession ruling. Conversely, the family of the late Kikenyi ole Mpoe and some Maasai community members assert they have held legal documentation for the land since the 1930s.

The clash occurs just days after Court of Appeal Judge Gatembu Kairu recused himself from a related Sh2.4 billion segment of the Koinange land dispute on January 27, citing a potential conflict of interest. 

This site has been a “battleground” for decades, with previous incidents resulting in multiple deaths, including a fatality as recently as March 2025.

By Anthony Solly