The Senate Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs, and Human Rights (JLAHRC), chaired by Bomet Senator Wakili Hillary Sigei, is currently investigating a petition submitted by Ms Zipporah Seroney. This petition concerns the alleged mistreatment, harassment, property loss, and human rights abuses inflicted upon the family of the late Jean Marie Seroney. The committee is currently in Nandi County on a fact-finding mission.

The late Jean Marie Seroney was a distinguished public servant who represented different constituencies, including Nandi and Tinderet, from 1961 to 1975. He held the position of Deputy Speaker for the Kenyan Parliament in 1975. During his term, Seroney was a vocal critic of power abuse, corruption, and land injustices. He was arrested in 1975 and subsequently detained without trial for over three years.

Following his release in 1978, Seroney faced significant opposition, and his farming business struggled due to financial constraints arising from unpaid loans to the Standard Chartered Bank and the National Bank of Kenya. Despite his appeals for governmental aid, Seroney received no support, leading to a deep depression. After his death, most of his land and property were either sold or illicitly claimed, leaving his family in a desperate situation.

In response to these concerns, Ms Seroney has asked the Senate to investigate the reasons behind the non-compliance with various court orders issued to the Seroney family regarding disputes over their property. The Committee has taken an active approach to examine these allegations, with meetings and written submissions from numerous stakeholders, including Ms Seroney, the Governor of Nandi County, the Chairperson of the National Lands Commission, the Managing Director of the National Bank of Kenya, and the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Lands.

The Committee visited Nandi County to ascertain the status of a land parcel, identified as Land Reference No. 10815. The petitioner claims that the Seroney family was the rightful owner of this land, which was bought using a loan from the National Bank of Kenya. The Seroney family was violently evicted by illegal occupants during the tribal clashes in 1991. The National Land Commission, according to Ms Seroney, failed to deliver justice and oversaw the conversion of part of the private land, including Seroney's burial site, into public land.

The Governor of Nandi County revealed that the land, previously owned by Kaprotuk Estates Limited, was part of the National Land Titling Program in 2015. The land was surveyed and 599 titles were issued to private individuals and public utilities.

The National Land Commission's involvement was limited to a request received from Ms Seroney in 2015, advising the parties to explore alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to resolve the conflict.

Mrs Seroney supplemented her response by stating that the Seroney family faced violent opposition upon their attempts to return to their home. Furthermore, she claimed that the family was not consulted during the subdivision of the land and the issuance of new titles. Mrs Seroney asserts that the titles issued were illegal and that the family deserves their land back or compensation from the government.

Responses from the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development, and the National Bank of Kenya shed further light on the complex history of the land ownership. However, discrepancies remain in the understanding of how the land changed hands and how it was handled by the National Titling Program.

Joining Senator Sigei on the fact-finding mission in Nandi County are committee members, including Vice Chair Senator Raphael Chimera and Senators Hamida Kibwana, Okiya Omtatah, and Fatuma Dullo. Also in attendance are the Governor of Nandi County Stephen Sang and Tinderet MP, Julius Melly.