Samburu leaders have claimed the killing of 35 people on Tuesday was part of a plot to evict residents from a 6,000-acre ranch. The land was bought in 2000 from the Government and each shareholder was allocated 50 acres, according to Samburu County Council Chairman Julius Leshinkiro. Speaking during the mass burial of the victims, leaders alleged the Pokot were planning to evict them from the land to graze on it. Samburu Anglican Church archbishop Jacob Lesuda said the raiders were not interested in stealing cattle, but wanted to cause deaths. Anyone claiming to own the land should do so legally. We have legal documents to claim the land ownership, he noted. Leshinkiro said there have been attempts in the past to evict them but they failed. The attempts, he said were through victimisation of Samburu children, cattle rustling and neglect by Government authorities.

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