Uproar as student shot dead by KFS officer in land row

Grief and fury engulfed the Ex-Soronzon area in Trans Nzoia County after a Form Three student was fatally shot by Kenya Forest Service (KFS) officers during a violent clash over a disputed parcel of land.

The deceased, 17-year-old Musa Cheptot, a student at St Monica Gitwamba Secondary School, was shot dead on the spot, while three others, including a former student, sustained injuries in the confrontation.

The incident has sparked public outrage and renewed calls for justice and land reforms in the region.

Musa was shot in the head as KFS officers moved to evict residents from the contested 600-acre tract claimed by the government to be part of a protected forest.

The residents, however, assert they rightfully bought the land more than a decade ago.

According to local residents and community leaders Luke Naibei and Emmanuel Ndorobo, over 1,365 families acquired the land through the Chorlim Multipurpose Cooperative Society, paying Sh3.9 million out of the agreed Sh5 million. However, they were later evicted without explanation or compensation.

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“We followed the right procedure. We paid in full what was demanded of us. We have lived here in peace for years, only to be attacked like criminals. Musa’s death is the result of a broken system. Someone must be held accountable,” Naibei said.

Ndorobo added, “The use of force was completely unnecessary. These are families, not criminals. This is not the first life lost, and unless something is done, it won’t be the last. IPOA must act.”

The family of the deceased is devastated. His mother, Stella Teng’an, struggled to hold back tears as she described her son as ambitious and hardworking.

Neighbours Joseph Bera and Christine Kobore echoed her grief, saying the community is tired of living in fear and uncertainty.

Trans Nzoia County Commissioner Gideon Oyagi confirmed that an investigation has been launched.