President William Ruto has directed the Ministry of Lands to purchase 1,500 acres of the disputed Angata-Barakoi land in Narok County in a move aimed at settling squatters and easing a decades-long conflict over the area.
The president said the government will acquire the land to resettle families who have been involved in a long-running dispute that has sparked deadly clashes for more than 50 years.
The contested land lies in Angata Barikoi in Transmara South, where tensions over ownership have repeatedly led to violence and displacement.
Ruto made the announcement during the burial service of the late Emurua Dikirr MP Johanna Ng’eno and five others who died in a helicopter crash.
He said resolving the land dispute was one of the issues the late legislator had pushed for before his death.
At the same time, the president revealed that the government is preparing a budget to resettle about 12,000 families currently living in tents in the Mau Forest.
“Before the end of last year, I was given a list by the leaders of this region of about 12,000 people who need to be helped again. We will allocate a budget so that around August and September these people can find a place to live,” Ruto said.
The Angata Barikoi conflict centres on roughly 6,000 to 6,300 acres of land where two adjudication sections—Angata and Moyoi—overlap.
The land is occupied largely by members of the Kipsigis community but is also claimed by the Siria Maasai community, which argues that the land is part of its ancestral territory.
Court rulings in the past have supported the Maasai claim, ordering the Kipsigis residents to vacate the land while also raising concerns that some title deeds issued to settlers were irregular.
The dispute has further been complicated by allegations of land grabbing by influential individuals seeking to establish large-scale projects such as sugar factories in the area.
Previous attempts by the government to resolve the conflict have included efforts to resettle affected residents.
The latest approach follows a demarcation framework outlined in the 2025 consent agreement between the government and community representatives.
Under the agreement, about 4,500 acres were allocated to the Maasai community, 1,500 acres to the Kipsigis, while another 500 acres were set aside for government and security infrastructure as of August 2025.
The president also indicated that the government is looking into resolving the long-standing dispute over the 5,800-acre Cheluget Farm in Sogoo, Narok County.
The land previously belonged to Isaiah Kiplagat Cheluget, who served as Provincial Commissioner for Nyanza Province during the administration of Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta.
