Deputy President William Ruto has claimed that all the pieces of land in his possession are legally owned and not stolen from alleged owners.
Speaking during the Presidential debate on Wednesday, July 26, 2022, Ruto claimed that at some point he was duped to buy land from illegal owners.
"Any piece of land I have is legally acquired. We need to discuss the (Gilbert) Muteshi land. I was a victim of fraudulent sellers of that land. What the court ordered me to do was to pay for the three years I had occupied that land, and they calculated and said that the income for this land would be approximately Ksh5 million for three years, and that's what I paid. The people who sold that land to me were taken to court," Ruto said.
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"Acquisition of property is a legitimate endeavour. I have paid value for any property that I have," he added.
Ruto vs Muteshi case
The land, Tapsagoi Settlement Scheme in Turbo area of Uasin Gishu County, was grabbed after the 2007-2008 tribal clashes and was allegedly sold to Mr Ruto by one Ms Dorothy Jemutai.
A judgment concerning the ownership of the land was made on June 28, 2013 by Justice Roseline Ougo in favour of Mr Muteshi and an order to surrender the parcel with compensation of Ksh5 million given.
