A gift meant to anchor a community's future in Rongai, Nakuru County, has become the flashpoint of a bitter struggle. Residents of Tulwobmoi are now locked in a battle against private developers who they allege have illegally acquired a title deed for 16 acres of land donated by the late President Daniel Arap Moi in the early 2000s.

The land, intended for the AIC Tulwobmoi Primary and Secondary Schools and the AIC Tulwobmoi Church, now serves as collateral for a bank loan exceeding KES 17 million, according to community members. This situation has left residents questioning how a public utility, complete with permanent school buildings, could be mortgaged, jeopardizing the education of over 900 pupils.

"Where will the people of Tulwabmoi and their future generations go to school and worship if the land is taken away?" lamented Cornelious Kemboi, a resident and former school chairman. The community claims the developers secured the loan without the lending institution conducting basic due diligence, such as a physical site visit, which would have revealed the existing public facilities.

A System Under Scrutiny

The Tulwobmoi case casts a harsh light on a pervasive national issue: the grabbing of public school land. A staggering number of schools across Kenya lack title deeds, leaving them vulnerable to encroachment by private interests. This administrative gap allows unscrupulous individuals to acquire seemingly legitimate ownership documents for public assets. The community has formally appealed to the Ministry of Lands and the Ministry of Education, demanding the immediate revocation of the title deed and a full investigation into how the fraudulent transaction occurred.

Residents have taken matters into their own hands, staging protests, tearing down fences erected by the developers, and cultivating the disputed land in a powerful act of reclamation. Their actions underscore a deep-seated frustration with a system they believe has failed to protect their children's heritage.

• Asset: 16-acre parcel in Tulwobmoi, Rongai Sub-County.
• Original Purpose: Site for AIC Tulwobmoi Primary, Secondary School, and Church.
• Allegation: Illegal acquisition of title deed by private developers.
• Financial Twist: Disputed title used to secure a loan of over KES 17 million.

The Path Forward

While details on the specific developers and the bank remain scarce, the community's resolve is clear. They insist the presidential gift was unequivocal. "We initially approached Mzee Moi to buy the land, but he declined and instead donated it freely to the community for education and a church," explained Luka Tuigong, a local elder. This history, they argue, makes the subsequent private title illegal from its inception.

The Ministry of Lands has previously urged communities to report such cases for action, but the residents of Tulwobmoi are still awaiting a definitive response. Their fight is not just for 16 acres of soil; it is a stand for the sanctity of public land and the promise of education for generations to come. The question now is whether the state machinery will move to protect a former president's gift to the people.