Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has claimed that bandit attacks in the North Rift region have declined significantly, attributing this to government efforts and collaboration with local leaders.

Speaking on Sunday at a church service at Moi Gardens in Lodwar, Turkana County, Kindiki commended collective efforts to combat insecurity.

The service brought together clerics and residents to celebrate unity and give thanks during the festive season.

This marked Kindiki’s first visit to Turkana as Deputy President, though he noted his frequent visits to the region during his tenure as Interior Cabinet secretary.

“I have been here many times before, and I commend the Turkana County leaders and security teams for their unwavering cooperation and hard work in reducing insecurity,” he said.

“While we have not achieved 100 percent success, residents in the North Rift can now live in peace.”

Economic matters

The DP reassured residents that the government would support the incoming Interior Cabinet secretary to sustain the progress and deter criminal activities.

On economic matters, Kindiki acknowledged the challenges the country faces, citing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022, which disrupted economic activities and caused a downturn.

He assured Kenyans that the government is taking steps to stabilise the economy and improve livelihoods.

“We should not lose faith. Let us trust in God and work hard. Our focus now is to ensure Kenyans have money in their pockets,” he said, adding that inflation, exchange rates, food prices, and fuel costs have started to stabilise under the Ruto administration.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to implementing programmes and projects aimed at increasing household incomes.

Turkana Governor Jeremiah Lomorukai praised the government for its efforts to address insecurity in the region, particularly on the borders with Ethiopia, Uganda, and South Sudan.

The peace, he said, “will not only strengthen security but also promote cross-border trade, boosting the economy”.

He also commended Kindiki for his close collaboration with Turkana leaders during his time as Interior Cabinet secretary, noting security had improved.

Meanwhile, in Kisii County, senior citizens have been urged to subdivide their land among their children so as to avoid disputes and court battles after they die.

Children whose parents die before they subdivide the family’s land should start the succession process by conducting a search at the local registry, Kisii County Land Registrar Charles Ayienda has said.

Most land-related disputes, he said, were due to graft, stressing that conmen colluded with unscrupulous land surveyors and disrupted succession processes.

“You need to have a search to know the status of the land and move to court for succession,” Ayienda said during Jamhuri Day celebrations at Nyanturago stadium in Kisii County.

All children, he said, are entitled to inherit land from their parents per the Constitution unless female children decline to pursue that right in order to avoid conflicts.

Proper succession

Previously, he said, when a man died, the local chief would write the names of beneficiaries, take them to the lands office and an officer would replace the name of the man with that of his widow or eldest son and process a title deed. This, he added, was illegal.

Some title deeds issued in the region before May last year, he said, had anomalies, noting that the legal process was not followed during succession, thus fuelling disputes.

The deeds, he added, will be cancelled to pave the way for proper succession if the parties have no disputes.

To avoid disputes, he said, residents should shun surveyors who subdivided land the analogue way and instead involve government surveyors with digital devices that are more accurate.

“If a parent sells land and dies, I urge children to include buyers in the succession as part of family members,” Ayienda noted.

He advised parents or their children to ensure they have a map of their land, a ‘green card’ and a title deed to claim legal land ownership.