NAIROBI- A lodge owned
by a murdered British rancher in Kenya's northern Laikipia
region announced its closure on Monday after being overrun by
herders for months, ahead of August polls in which some
politicians have made land reform a campaign issue.
Tristan Voorspuy, a British army veteran, was shot dead on
Sosian in March, one of dozens killed and injured in Laikipia as
armed herders searching for grazing have driven their cattle
onto private farms and ranches from poor quality communal land.
"Since the beginning of the year Sosian, amongst other
properties in West Laikipia, has been battling mass land
invasions, violence and vandalism," the Laikipia Farmers
Association (LFA) said in a statement on Monday.
"Attempts by government forces to rebuff the invaders on a
large scale have been unsuccessful thus far."
Many residents of the area accuse local politicians of
inciting the violence before elections in August. They say the
men are trying to drive out voters who might oppose them and win
votes by promising supporters access to private land.
Herders have illegally grazed more than 100,000 cattle on
Sosian over the last five months, the LFA said, while also
killing 13 elephants and shooting zebra, impala and buffaloes.
Laikipia is Kenya's second most important wildlife area
after the famous Maasai Mara, and many large-scale landowners
earn money from tourism as well as cattle ranching.
"We had a lot of serious shooting incidents in the last four
months so it is not safe to bring any tourists," Richard
Constant, one of Sosian's directors, told the Thomson Reuters
Foundation in a phone interview.
Kenya dispatched its military to the area in March to help
restore calm and disarm communities. The minister said the
operation was going as planned.
Government spokesman Eric Kiraithe told the Thomson Reuters
Foundation the government was doing all it can to restore order.
"Instead of invading private property, pastoralists should
be willing to be taught how to manage the land they currently
occupy," he said.
With increasingly severe droughts, population growth and the
enclosure of public lands, many traditional nomads, who are
often poor and illiterate, do not have grass for their
animals.
Although rains have brought an end to months of drought in
northern Kenya, large numbers of animals continue to graze
illegally on Sosian and neighbouring ranches, the LFA said.
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation