IDPs issued with title deeds 18 years after displacement
Rift Valley
By
Ken Gachuhi
| Feb 01, 2026
Florence Wairimu was all smiles as Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome handed her a title deed for a 1.5-acre parcel of land at the controversial Kisima Farm in Njoro, Nakuru County.
After eighteen years' wait in a crowded IDP camp in Pipeline, Nakuru East, Wairimu and 432 other families have finally been resettled by the government on the expansive farm.
“We named the camp New Canaan, but this feels like the real Promised Land. I am ready to start over my life here, optimistic of peaceful coexistence in the coming years,” said Wairimu.
The 433 families are part of families that camped at Nakuru ASK Showground for nine months after being displaced from their homes during the deadly 2007 post-election violence.
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After the Operation Rudi Nyumbani, families totaling 966 pooled resources to purchase a 16-acre farm in the Pipeline area, where they have been living in deplorable conditions.
The resettlement follows President William Ruto’s directive in October 2025 during his tour of the county, ordering CS Wahome to immediately hand over the land to the families.
“It is sad that you had to wait for this long. I had to ask the President to allow me more time to follow the legal procedure, and here we are today, concluding the process,” said Wahome.
The CS further indicated that the land had been fully demarcated and space for social amenities set aside, ready for development by the county and national governments.
Governor Susan Kihika said that the county government will avail its machinery to open up the area for development, committing to set up an ECDE center and a dispensary.
“The map is available, and we are ready to open up the roads. The county rig for drilling boreholes will be deployed to ensure you have enough water,” said Kihika.
Njoro MP Charity Kathambi challenged the beneficiaries to plant trees on the farm as a way of dealing with the whirlwind and contributing to environmental conservation.
“We are happy that you have moved here. Our plea is that you live harmoniously with the neighbours. We don’t want a repeat of what led to the displacement,” said Kathambi.
Moses Mbugua, the chairperson of IDPs, said that the resettlement is a great reprieve to them, adding that many people had passed on while waiting for the process to kick off.
“There were elders who led this group before me, and we lost them. I couldn’t be more proud that I have lived to see my people finally have a place to call home,” said Mbugua.
Another 173 families are set to be resettled on Rose Farm on the border of Nakuru and Narok Counties, which formerly belonged to the ADC and was also set aside for the resettlement.
Another 360 families are set to be resettled on Ndonga Farm in Subukia.
“In less than a month, I will have concluded the issue of Ndonga Farm and come back to take those still in the camp to their new homes. The dispute stopping the resettlement is coming to an end,” said CS Wahome.