, NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 23 – Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui has called for stern action against ‘war mongers’ in the wake of utterances by a section of politicians targeting non-indigenous land owners across three Maasai counties.
While referring to sentiments by Narok Senator Ledam Olekina made during Saturday’s Building Bridges Initiative consultative meeting at William ole Ntimama Stadium in Nariok County, Kinyanjui termed the utterances as retrogressive and ill-informed.
Kinyanjui reiterated that the right of ownership to property in Kenya is guaranteed by the constitution and not a gift from politicians.
“The days of ethnic mobilization are long gone. We are still trying to heal the wounds of intolerance and political incitement” he said.
“We are also concerned about leaders who are hijacking the BBI to pursue selfish political agenda that may cause ethnic disharmony,” Kinyanjui added.
The governor added that such behavior, which was isolating non-Maasai people living in the region, amounts to a deliberate distortion of BBI’s concept of national unity, inclusion and harmony.
On Saturday, a section of BBI crusaders leaders led by Senator Olekina said Maasai land should be a reserve of the Maa people, saying non-locals who own land cannot subdivide or resell it.
“We must stand firm to protect our land and territory,” Olekina told the attendees of the fifth BBI meeting.
The meeting was held amid concerns on exclusion of non-Maasai speaking elected leaders within the region.
This was not the first time the senator has made such utterances.
On Friday, the senator wrote on his official Twitter account; “We have remained ignorant for way too long! It’s time to annoy some people by telling them the truth! Maasai land belong to Maasai People. You can’t handle the truth!”
Olekina has been pushing for a review of land use policies in region adding that the Maa community has been marginalized for a long time.
Deputy President William Ruto, like Kinyanjui, also objected to Olekina’s sentiments on Saturday, saying they are sowing seeds of hate and division.
“The ethnic profiling and incitement against communities that we are witnessing under the pretext of BBI must stop,” Ruto warned.
He added that the BBI , as advocated for by the President Uhuru Kenyatta, was never meant to undermine or infringe the rights of Kenyans or any community.
“So, why are some leaders pushing for a model of BBI that goes against the spirit of the inclusivity and development of our country?” he wondered.
Apart from land issues, the Narok meeting resolved to push for the conservation of the Mau forest, which is a key water tower in the country, and the protection of the Maasai culture as a source of national heritage.
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