Kondoo Farm, Uasin Gishu County

By William Kiptoo

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Kondoo, the large farm near Burnt Forest in Uasin Gishu County is located in the Ainabkoi Sub-County of Uasin Gishu. The area is inhabited mainly by the Kikuyu and Kalenjin communities.

During the colonial period, the land was known as Koima Farm. It was owned by a European settler identified as Mr Tines. At the time, the farm formed part of the White Highlands, a region reserved for European settlement. African workers were employed on these farms but did not hold legal land ownership rights.
After Kenya’s independence in 1963, several settler owned farms were transferred to public institutions. Koima Farm came under the management of the Central Agriculture Board (CAB). Under CAB, the land was primarily used for sheep rearing. The Kiswahili word for sheep, kondoo, became commonly used to refer to the farm, eventually replacing the original name. It was divided into Kondoo Farm 1-7.
In the post independence period, the Government of Kenya acquired Kondoo Farm from CAB. The farm measured approximately 5,600 acres and was designated as a settlement scheme. The beneficiaries consisted mainly of former squatters and farm workers drawn from the Kikuyu and Kalenjin communities who had been employed on settler farms in Uasin Gishu.
Land allocation under the settlement scheme ranged between five and seven acres per household. A total of 804 families were settled on the farm.
Kondoo Farm, which falls within the larger Burnt Forst area, experienced election related violence in 1992, 1997, and 2007. During these periods, Kondoo Farm and surrounding settlements were affected by disputes related to land ownership and political affiliation.
As of late 2024, reports indicated that residents of Kondoo Farm received eviction notices issued by a private company claiming ownership of the land. The notices reportedly affected more than 4,000 residents.

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