Woman in Ruto land case says signature was forged

Ms Dorothy Yator, a witness in a land case involving Mr William Ruto

A witness’s signature was forged and used to transfer land belonging to a post-poll chaos victim to Jubilee presidential candidate running mate William Ruto, a court heard on Monday.

Ms Dorothy Jemutai Yator told the High Court in Nairobi that 100 acres belonging to Mr Gilbert Adrian Muteshi were subdivided and sold to Mr Ruto fraudulently.

Mr Muteshi fled the farm in Uasin Gishu during the 2008 chaos and, on his return, found it occupied.

He accuses Mr Ruto of grabbing the land and Ms Yator of fraudulently selling it to the politician.

Ms Yator on Monday disowned the documents produced by Mr Ruto as evidence of her involvement, saying they were forged. “Mheshimiwa Ruto is responsible,” she said when asked by her lawyer. “I am a victim.”

She said she had hired a document examiner who confirmed the papers were forged. The witness said the matter had embarrassed her as even her church had asked her to “step down”.

Mr Ruto has said he did not know the seller had acquired the land fraudulently. He says Ms Yator approached him with an offer to sell the land and that he bought it after she produced documents purporting she was the owner.

Ms Yator said she and her husband Daudi Kiptugen neither knew nor met Mr Ruto, Mr Bethuel Kipsang and Mr Peter Kosgey.

Last week, Mr Ruto’s witness said Mr Kipsang and Mr Kosgey negotiated the land sale on behalf of Ms Yator and her husband.

The witness said acting as an agent for the then Agriculture minister, he dealt with Mr Kipsang and Mr Kosgey who presented themselves as agents of Ms Yator and her husband.

The two received Sh600,000 as the final instalment of the price on behalf of Ms Yator, the witness said.

On interrogation by Mr Ruto’s lawyer, Mr Katwa Kigen, Ms Yator confirmed the names on the land titles presented to Mr Ruto were hers. She also confirmed she was married to Mr Kiptugen and that her husband, not Mr Ruto, would ordinarily have access to her ID and photographs.

Mr Kigen asked her why she did not report the forgeries to the police. “You did not because you were protecting your husband,” the lawyer said.

He said Mr Ruto suspected her husband had made the forgeries and reported this to the police.

The hearing continues. -Daily Nation