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Kamagut–Kiplombe and Isiolo: How Two Kenya Army Land Disputes Compare

By William Kiptoo The Kamagut–Kiplombe land dispute in Uasin Gishu County and the long‑running Isiolo land disputes both revolve around land claimed by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) for training and security installations, yet the two conflicts differ in origins, scale, community claims, and how the state has attempted to resolve them. In Kamagut and neighbouring Kiplombe, the dispute dates back to the 1970s when civilian families settled on land adjacent to Moi Barracks Recruits Training School, cultivating and building without title deeds even as the land was officially classified as defence land, a situation that persisted for decades due to weak enforcement and poorly marked boundaries. In Isiolo, by contrast, community members trace their claims further back, often describing the land as ancestral community land inherited over generations, with some residents stating they lived there as early as the 1920s, long before the establishment or expansion of major military installations...
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History of the Kamagut–Kiplombe Kenya Army Land Dispute (Uasin Gishu County)

The land at the centre of the Kamagut–Kiplombe dispute lies on the outskirts of Eldoret near Moi Barracks Recruits Training School and related military installations, and its history begins in the post‑Independence period when large tracts of former Crown land were transferred to the Kenyan state and reserved for defence use, even though boundaries on the ground remained unclear and enforcement was weak. In the early and mid‑1970s, civilian families began settling on parts of this land in areas such as Kamagut, Kiplombe and Chebarus, cultivating crops and building homes without title deeds but with little interference from authorities, creating a situation where long‑term occupation gradually took root despite the land being officially classified as defence land. Through the 1980s and 1990s, as Eldoret expanded and Moi Barracks grew in strategic importance, the Kenya Defence Forces increasingly asserted control over surrounding land, restricting civilian access and maintaining that the...
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How a 48‑Year Kenya Army Land Dispute in Kamagut Turned Deadly — and Why It Took So Long to Resolve

  By William Kiptoo For nearly five decades, the rolling farmlands of Kamagut and Kiplombe in Uasin Gishu County were the quiet stage of a bitter dispute between local residents and the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). What began as overlapping claims to land near Moi Barracks Recruits Training School hardened into a cycle of court cases, blocked access, and deadly confrontations—leaving at least eight people dead before a truce was finally brokered in 2024. In March 2024, the government announced that the dispute—dating back 48 years—was coming to an end. A land‑sharing agreement, brokered by the Ministries of Defence and Lands, would allocate 5,000 acres to residents, with title deeds promised within months. But for families living in Kamagut, the announcement arrived after years of loss. A Dispute Rooted in History The contested land lies around key military installations in Eldoret, including Moi Barracks and facilities associated with the Kenya Ordnance Factories Corporation. Resid...
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Coming Home Through a Classroom: The Shanta Foundation Story

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 By William Kiptoo, There is a way people return to a place without ever boarding a plane. It begins with memory. The sound of a school bell. The dust of a football field. The quiet rhythm of a town still finding itself. For the family behind the Shanta Foundation, that place is  Eldoret . Long before the foundation was registered in the UK, before the language of philanthropy and structured giving, there were childhood years spent in Eldoret. Years shaped by a town that, in the late colonial and early independence period, was a meeting point of communities, ambitions, and small everyday struggles. The family belonged to the Kenyan Asian community that lived, worked, and raised children in this growing town. Eldoret was not an idea. It was home. Time, as it does, carried them away. Careers, migration, and new lives took root elsewhere. But memory has its own stubborn geography. It does not fade easily. It holds on to places that shaped who we became. And sometimes, years later...
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Eldoret Steel Mills Ltd: Anchoring Industrial Growth in Kenya’s North Rift

By William Kiptoo Tucked away in Kambi Somali, Eldoret , Eldoret Steel Mills Ltd (ESM) is one of the quiet but critical players in Kenya’s steel manufacturing ecosystem. While it rarely makes headlines, the company forms part of the industrial backbone supporting construction and infrastructure development across the North Rift and beyond. Established as a locally registered Kenyan steel manufacturer, Eldoret Steel Mills focuses on the production of hot‑rolled steel products, primarily manufactured from imported billets. Operating as a mini‑mill, the company aligns with Kenya’s broader industrial strategy of value addition, transforming imported raw materials into finished construction inputs for the domestic market. A Strategic Location Eldoret’s position as a logistics hub for western Kenya, South Sudan, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania gives Eldoret Steel Mills a strategic advantage. Located along major transport corridors, the mill supplies steel products used in housing, road...
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The Factory That Stayed Standing: How Ken‑Knit Endured Eldoret’s Industrial Storm

  When factories across Eldoret went silent, Ken‑Knit kept its machines running. As once‑mighty industrial names such as Raymond Woollen Mills and Rift Valley Textiles (Rivatex) collapsed or staggered under the pressure of global competition, Ken‑Knit quietly did something remarkable: it survived. More than that, it adapted. In a town shaped by both industrial promise and disappointment, Ken‑Knit became the exception—the factory that stayed standing when others fell. Founded in 1965, Ken‑Knit began operations at a time when Eldoret was emerging as a manufacturing frontier in post‑independence Kenya. Rather than pursuing scale or prestige, the company focused on a narrower but carefully chosen niche: knitwear, blankets, and yarns, particularly for domestic and regional markets. From the start, Ken‑Knit operated as a family‑owned enterprise, a decision that would later prove to be one of its greatest strengths. While Raymond symbolised elegance and global connection, and Rivatex rep...
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When Raymond Dressed the Nation: The Rise and Fall of Eldoret’s Woollen Giant

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 By William Kiptoo For much of the post‑independence period, Raymond Woollen Mills stood as one of Eldoret’s proudest industrial landmarks. Established in the early 1960s, the factory symbolised Kenya’s ambition to build a self‑reliant manufacturing economy. Long before the town became synonymous with athletics, wheat farming, and universities, Raymond helped define Eldoret as an industrial hub at the heart of the North Rift. The mill was set up as Raymond Woollen Mills (Kenya) Ltd, a subsidiary of the renowned Indian textile firm Raymond. Its arrival followed Kenya’s independence in 1963, when the government actively promoted local industries to reduce dependence on imports. Eldoret was chosen deliberately: its cool climate suited wool processing, and surrounding highland areas offered ideal conditions for sheep rearing. From the start, Raymond was designed to do more than make fabric. It created a complete value chain, processing locally produced wool into finished products such ...
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Raymond, Rivatex and Ken‑Knit: Eldoret’s Textile Story of Collapse, Survival and Reinvention

By William Kiptoo For much of Kenya’s post‑independence history, Raymond Woollen Mills , Rift Valley Textiles (Rivatex) and Ken‑Knit defined Eldoret’s identity as an industrial town. Together, the three factories anchored employment, shaped migration into the North Rift, and linked agriculture to manufacturing at a scale rarely matched outside Nairobi. Yet while Raymond collapsed and Rivatex struggled to survive, Ken‑Knit endured—offering a revealing contrast in how Kenya’s textile industry rose, fell, and, in one case, adapted. Raymond Woollen Mills, established in the early 1960s, symbolised the optimism of early independence. Backed by Indian capital, the factory focused on wool processing and quickly became synonymous with quality and aspiration. Raymond suits, blankets and yarns clothed civil servants, students, clergy and families across the country. The factory drew wool from Rift Valley highlands, created thousands of jobs, and helped transform Eldoret into a centre of light ...
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Elgeyo Saw Mills and Land Ownership in Elgeyo Marakwet County

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 By William Kiptoo Image: AI Elgeyo Saw Mills originated within Kenya’s colonial forestry economy when British settlers and administrators exploited high altitude forests in the Rift Valley for commercial timber. The Elgeyo Escarpment and the Cherangany Hills were used for timber extraction due to the presence of indigenous hardwoods such as cedar and podo, alongside planted softwoods introduced through colonial forestry policies. The land where the mill was later established formed part of a settler owned farm of about 4,900 acres held by a European settler identified as Captain Kenneth Rawson Shaw or (Shown Show) . The property lay along the boundary of present day Elgeyo Marakwet and Uasin Gishu counties and was located near forest reserves that supplied timber.  During the colonial period, timber production supported railway construction, settler housing, and export markets. Local Keiyo and Marakwet communities were excluded from ownership and mainly provided labor after d...
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