By Reuben Olita -Busia
A family in Nambale Sub-County, Busia County, is facing possible eviction following an alleged irregular sale of ancestral land involving a daughter-in-law and a former assistant chief.
The family from Koshalai Village, Kapina Sub-location, Bukhayo North/Walatsi Ward, claims the land was sold without their knowledge despite being occupied by several generations.
According to the family, the land originally belonged to two brothers, Michael Ochana Sokoni and Charles Onyipat, who were each allocated 7.25 acres by their father. Following the death of Charles Onyipat, his son Christopher Ekinusut Onyipat inherited his share.
Before his death, Christopher sold 4.5 acres in 1978 and an additional one acre in 1990, leaving a balance of 1.75 acres, which the family says was to remain with his mother and children.
The family alleges that after Christopher’s death in 2003, his widow Veronica Aujit later returned from Uganda in 2012 and, with the help of then assistant chief Francis Temoi, irregularly processed succession documents that resulted in the land being registered in her name.
They further claim that the former administrator later facilitated the sale of the entire 14.5-acre parcel to a private buyer, Christopher Okwii Ijirimani, in 2016, allegedly at a cost of Ksh2.3 million.
In January 2017, the family received a letter from a law firm indicating that ownership of the land had been transferred to the buyer and warning occupants against further development.
The family filed a case in court in February 2017 but says only the buyer attended the hearings while the widow failed to appear. They represented themselves due to financial constraints.
A ruling delivered virtually on October 21, 2025, found the family to be “strangers” on the land and granted them 30 days to appeal, a deadline they say they were unable to meet.
The buyer has since issued a verbal eviction notice requiring the family to vacate by January 30, 2026, according to the residents.
Eighty-six-year-old Alfred Sokoni Ekinusut, who says he was born on the land in 1939, expressed fear of displacement, noting that more than 85 family members depend on the land for their livelihoods.
The family also says the land contains 26 graves, including those of grandparents and other relatives, and questions how eviction would be carried out.
Clan leaders and neighbours have called on the national government to intervene, saying land transactions should involve family and clan structures to avoid displacement.
The family has appealed to Nambale MP Geoffrey Mulanya, the judiciary, and the national administration to review the matter and halt any eviction pending further investigation.
