Police officer Peter Maosa…Photo/courtesy.
By IP reporter.
BUNGOMA, Kenya .
After more than a decade of legal battles, counterclaims and even criminal charges, a police officer at the center of a protracted land row in Bungoma County has received a critical boost in his fight for justice.
Peter Maosa, a police officer stationed at Malakisi Police Station has been locked in an 11-year dispute over a plot of land in Malakisi Township.
The contested property, LR 1408/32 was originally leased in 1956 and later renewed in favor of Shaiwaz S. Jiwa who in 2014 sold the land to Maosa.
Shortly after fencing off his newly acquired property, Maosa found himself facing fierce resistance.
Local Malakisi businessman Mzee Nyongesa Wangila tore down the fence and laid his own claim to the parcel, sparking years of litigation and tension.
Wangila was eventually convicted in 2021 of malicious damage to property and sentenced to two years’ probation but the larger ownership battle lingered.
On August 21, 2025, during a hearing before Senior Resident Magistrate Tina Madowo, the officer’s pursuit of justice took a decisive turn.
Bungoma County land rates officer Maximilian Nyongesa testified that county records consistently listed Jiwa as the rightful ratepayer of the property.
She presented receipts and official statements as proof, affirming that Wangila’s name had never appeared in the county’s land records.
The testimony strengthened Maosa’s argument that his purchase of the land was legitimate and that the long-running dispute has unfairly denied him the quiet enjoyment of his property.
“This matter has dragged on for too long,” a source close to Maosa said after the hearing. “Justice delayed is justice denied, and it is time the courts brought this to a close.”
The magistrate gave Wangila 14 days to file a response and directed both parties to appear on October 15, 2025 for mention of the case.
For Maosa, the testimony of the county lands official represents more than just a legal battle over land.
It is about vindication and the principle that the law must protect even the ordinary citizen against protracted injustices.
Ends.
