Ruto turns back on promise to return land

Eldoret North MP William Ruto will not, after all, return a 100-acre piece of land allegedly acquired illegally from an IDP.Ruto who had earlier agreed to return the land beat an about-turn after he and the alleged owner failed to agree on certain conditions.The case is now set to go to a full hearing paving way for tabling of details on how Ruto acquired the land in Kaptebei Settlement Scheme.The presidential aspirant, turned around after failing to agree on some conditions that were set by Mr Adrian Gilbert Muteshi who is said to have been displaced as result of the 2007 post election violence.On Monday, Muteshi who was allegedly forcibly evicted from the piece of land, told the Court that Ruto who had agreed to surrender the land and relinquish the title deed for the property he bought from a woman was not ready to accept that he acquired it illegally.Muteshi had indicated through his lawyer Anthony Lubulela that he would only accept the property back if Ruto also caters for the expenses he incurred filing the case.Due to failure to record an agreement before High Court Judge Lady Justice Rose Ougo as ordered two weeks ago, the Judge ordered the matter to be heard on April 25 and 26.Through his lawyer Katwa Kigen, Ruto told the court sitting in Nairobi a few weeks ago that he had conceded to the two facts but does not accept the issue of surrendering profits made while in possession of the piece of land.In the case, Muteshi claims Ruto illegally took his piece of land in Kaptabei Scheme, Uasin Gishu, after the 2007-2008 post-election violence.Muteshi told the court last year that six workers at his 100-acre farm in Kaptabei Scheme, Uasin Gishu, were kicked out of the property in 2008 and have been unable to return since then.