Three sons of a prominent large-scale farmer from Kundos village in Endebess, Trans Nzoia, are seeking justice after allegedly being brutally attacked on their family farm by a group of 40 men.
The incident, which took place last week, left the brothers with severe injuries as they were assaulted while trying to defend their family’s land.
Meshack Saina, Abraham Saina, and Job Saina, sons of Mr. James Saina, were confronted by the group which accompanied a man claiming ownership of 0.5 acres of the larger land parcel.
The land in question was reportedly sold by Mr. Saina’s daughter to the man who now claims his right to the small portion of the vast property.
According to Abraham Saina, one of the injured brothers, the ordeal began when a neighbor alerted them to suspicious activity on their farm.
“On Thursday at 9 PM, I received a phone call that someone was demarcating the land. I gathered my brothers, and after confirming the incident, we reported it as a case of trespassing to the Endebess Police Station,” Abraham recalled.
The next day, the group returned to the land, and when the brothers confronted them, the situation turned violent.
“We were ambushed by the men, and one of them attacked us with a machete, leaving us injured on our heads and hands,” Abraham said.
The brothers sustained serious injuries to their heads and hands and were rushed to Endebess Subcounty Hospital for medical treatment. They later reported the incident to the Endebess Police Station.
Despite reporting the assault, the attackers have not been apprehended, and the family fears the case is not being handled properly.
“When we followed up with the police to have our attackers arrested, we were told that we were the ones who had attacked them,” he said.
Community leaders, led by David Sang, a local resident, condemned the attack and criticized the police for their failure to hold the perpetrators accountable.
“We are very disturbed as a community to see that the police have decided to be biased instead of enforcing the law,” said Mr. Sang.
Wilson Sing'oei, the Chairman of the Nandi Kaburwo Council of Elders, also expressed his frustration with the authorities’ poor response to the matter.
“We reported the case to the police, and after mediation, nothing significant has been done,” said Mr. Isaiah Birech.
The eldest son of Mr. Saina, Micah Saina, also expressed his concerns about the lack of respect for his brothers' rights.
“We are demanding justice, but the police seem to be redirecting the case, now calling it an ‘affray’ rather than taking the appropriate legal action,” he said.
The Secretary of the Nandi Kaburwo Council of Elders, Stephen Busienei, said they had lost confidence in the officers at the Endebess Police Station to handle the matter.
"We are calling on the government to transfer the top officers at the station so that we can have new, impartial officers to oversee security matters," said Mr. Busienei.