In a community consultative meeting at Musunguru in Kadenge, residents of Yala Swamp urged President William Ruto to help them reclaim land they say was taken by investors after years of marginalisation.

Local spokesperson Claus Omondi Okoth said the community has suffered since investors occupied the area, noting that earlier generations of youth trained as mechanics, electricians and drivers found work, whereas current youth are denied similar opportunities.

Okoth appealed directly to the president, stating that only the head of state can intervene to stop what he described as “games” being played over the land.

Angeline Adongo Ochieng echoed the call, urging the president to protect the community’s future generations from further dispossession.

Benard Ogeya Mungele, chair of the Siaya, Kadenge, Seje and Yimbo Community Members and Farmers of Yala Swamp (SIKASEYI), blamed the county government for inaction and said the community has sent several letters to the governor, including one on 14 October demanding the release of a land inventory promised by national land commissioners in January.

Mungele issued a 14‑day notice to the Siaya governor, warning that failure to act on the inventory request will force the community to pursue legal avenues.

He also highlighted that residents are being denied access to essential services and transport routes linking schools, hospitals and universities, and complained about the impounding of community livestock.

Eunice Ombaka added that the dispute has taken a heavy economic toll, disrupting transport networks and making it harder for families to pay school fees and sustain daily livelihoods.

The community maintains that Yala Swamp was gazetted in 1970 as community land for residents within its catchment and pledged to continue legal and community action until the land is fully restored.