The Milimani Residents Association has petitioned the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate what it describes as widespread irregular allocation of prime land in Kitale to politically connected individuals and influential cartels.

The association's chairman, Peter Walunywa, accused rogue land officials and powerful individuals of manipulating land allocation processes to acquire public and private property illegally, urging the anti-graft agency to intervene before more public assets are lost.

Speaking to Vision News on Saturday, Walunywa claimed that influential figures, including a financial officer at a leading national school, had allegedly used their positions to bypass established land allocation procedures.

"The EACC has been invited to urgently investigate the grabbing of public and private land in elite estates, including the large unsurveyed land opposite the Trans Nzoia County Commissioner's offices. Corrupt land officials who have been issuing titles for reserved or public utility parcels should also be compelled to explain their actions," he said.

Walunywa further appealed to both the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the Ministry of Lands to move swiftly in investigating fraudulent land allocations, forged land titles, and alleged grabbing of public utility land.

According to the residents' association, several prime parcels in Kitale have been the subject of long-running ownership disputes, with allegations that politically influential individuals and well-connected businessmen have benefited from questionable land deals.

Among the parcels highlighted is a large piece of land opposite the headquarters of the Catholic Diocese of Kitale. Walunywa alleged that the property remains under the ownership of an Asian businessman who is reportedly linked to a former influential politician who once served as a Provincial Commissioner in Kitale.

He claimed the former senior government official used his influence within local government structures to facilitate the alleged illegal acquisition of land that originally belonged to the now-defunct Kitale Municipal Council.

The residents' association also challenged civil society organizations to revive campaigns against what it termed the continued irregular allocation of land formerly owned by the Kitale Municipal Council, County Council, prisons, and other public institutions to private developers.

Walunywa paid tribute to former Kitale Catholic priest Father Gabriel Dolan, describing him as one of the region's most outspoken defenders of public land and human rights.

He recalled that Father Dolan, through the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (CJPC), worked closely with activists including Immaculate Shamalla, Benson Wanyoike, and Leonard Barasa in exposing alleged land grabbing, public property theft, forced evictions, and cases of police brutality in Trans Nzoia County.

According to Walunywa, Father Dolan led campaigns to reclaim public property, including the highly publicized efforts to recover Kitale GK Prison land, while also defending vulnerable families against unlawful evictions and demolitions.

He noted that Dolan's activism often placed him at odds with powerful individuals, leading to multiple arrests and alleged assaults during protests, including demonstrations over prison land in 2003 and disputes surrounding Kamukunji grounds in 2005.

The residents are now calling on the EACC, the Ministry of Lands, and other investigative agencies to conduct comprehensive investigations into historical and current land allocations in Kitale, arguing that recovering illegally acquired public land would restore public confidence in land administration and protect community resources.

At the time of publication, the individuals mentioned in the allegations had not publicly responded, and no official statement had been issued by the EACC regarding the petition.