Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto is now seeking an out-of-court settlement in a land dispute where the his administration is at loggerheads with Moi University over the construction of a new campus in the county.
In an application before the court of appeal through his lawyer Steve Biko, Governor Ruto sought to have the case suspended for a while to allow the two parties to negotiate on the matter and find a solution.
Appearing before the appellant judges in Nakuru, lawyer Biko, told the court that the governor had communicated with the management of the university and were willing to negotiate to settle the matter out of court on grounds that the matter was directly affecting the public.
“The governor is willing to negotiate with the university on the alternatives of the matter since the construction of a university and a stadium directly affects the residents of the county,” said Biko.
Appellant Judges led by Justices Philip Waki, Roseline Nambuye and Patrick Kiage in their ruling allowed the application by the governor and directed both parties negotiate and amicably resolve the matter before appearing in court on March 24.
“The application is allowed and the two parties are hereby allowed by law to agree. Both parties are to appear on March 24 to show progress of the same,” They ruled.
Bomet County government had moved to the court of appeal to challenge a judgement by the lands court in awarding Moi University the disputed 43-acre piece of land where a stadium and a dumping site stands on grounds that it was marred by mistakes.
Following the county’s plea to review the judgement the appellate court on November 16 barred the University from proceeding with the construction on the disputed piece of land in Bomet Town until a suit filed in court is heard and determined.
They accused the government of court contempt by moving forward with laying foundation of the university construction despite an order not to do so.
