Cheboror: Beyond the Viral Story, Lies the Ogiek Struggle

By William Kiptoo

Cheboror, a location in Kesses Constituency, Uasin Gishu County, is not only known for it's recent viral story about a fake police station becoming a bar, but also the story of the Ogiek,a community whose decades‑long struggle for land justice remains unresolved.

In 1995, Cheboror Farm was officially established as L.R. No. 24644 (later Lainguse/Lainguse Block 4), measuring 788.30 hectares. It was set aside through an executive order and legal notices to provide land for the Ogiek, who had faced repeated evictions from their ancestral forests. The farm was subdivided into 358 parcels, including plots for public utilities such as primary schools, signaling an effort to rebuild not just homes but a community.

Title Deeds and Delayed Justice

After years of bureaucratic delays, title deeds were eventually prepared and issued to the approved list of 358 allottees, with ceremonies reported in 2018 and again in 2024. Officials urged beneficiaries not to sell their land but to develop it, reminding them that Cheboror was meant to be a foundation for dignity and stability.

Yet for many Ogiek families, Cheboror remains a promise half‑kept. Those displaced from areas like Serengonik and Keben continue to live in “inhuman conditions” along road reserves and temporary settlements. For them, the issuance of title deeds to a select group is not justice — it is exclusion.

Disputes and Diluted Promises

Even within Cheboror, disputes persist. Court cases have challenged the final list of beneficiaries and the allocation of public utility plots. These conflicts reveal a deeper problem: when land meant to heal historical wounds becomes entangled in contestation, the promise of restitution is diluted.

The Ogiek should not have to fight endlessly for what was already promised. Each delay, each dispute, each contested allocation adds another layer of injury to a community that has already borne the brunt of dispossession.

The Bigger Picture

Cheboror is not just about parcels of land in Uasin Gishu. It is a symbol of Kenya’s unfinished business with its indigenous communities. Court judgments have affirmed the Ogiek’s rights to their ancestral lands in the Mau Forest complex, where the majority of the community still resides. Yet implementation has lagged, leaving families in limbo.

Issuing title deeds at Cheboror is important, but it does not erase the broader reality: the Ogiek remain marginalized, excluded from their forests, and denied full restitution.

Looking Ahead

Cheboror’s viral headlines may amuse, but its deeper story demands attention. It is a story of promises made and promises broken, of partial victories and lingering injustices. For the Ogiek, land is not just property — it is identity, dignity, and survival.

Until Kenya fully honors its commitments, Cheboror will remain a reminder of justice half‑delivered. The Ogiek deserve more than symbolic gestures. They deserve the full measure of justice.


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