An Eldoret court summons the Principal Registrar of Persons from Nairobi to clarify the ownership of a disputed 30-acre parcel of land in Uasin Gishu County, valued at Ksh 30 million, after two families battling over the property presented conflicting death certificates for the alleged original owner.
Justice Robert Wananda directed the official to appear before him on July 21 without fail to verify who between the late Philip Cherono and the late Paul Kibet Cherono rightfully owned the land, as the documents submitted by the feuding parties contain discrepancies in names and dates of death.
The family of Philip Cherono, represented by lawyer Elijah Momanyi, insists that he died in 1976 and that the land in question, registered under plot number 173 of Paul Philip Cherono in Kaptagat Settlement Scheme, was acquired in 1965, with his eldest son Clady Cheruiyot asserting that they hold the original title deed.
The rival family, led by Abraham Chebii, a senior driver with the Judicial Service Commission, claims that the land belonged to his father Paul Cherono, who allegedly leased it to Philip Cherono over 60 years ago before passing away in 1997, a date supported by a death certificate Chebii presented in court.
Chebii, represented by lawyer Andrew Kiboi, has dismissed the defence’s assertion that his father was childless, stating that Paul Cherono had two children and that he possesses documentary evidence proving rightful inheritance of the land, whereas the family of Philip Cherono maintains that Chebii is a stranger to the property and has challenged him to provide tangible proof of ownership.
This led the court to demand official verification from the Registrar of Persons to settle the long-standing dispute.