Tussle
Residents of Mwaeba Village, Jomvu Sub- County want the government to intervene and prevent a private developer from evicting them from their ‘ancestral land’.
Three weeks ago, in the wee hours of the night, the villagers were astonished when they were awakened by hired youth, escorted by the police, on a mission to demolish their houses built on the 30-acre land that they claimed they have lived in for more than 60 years.
They are appealing to the government to intervene to resolve the land tussle. More than 30 families were affected in the 30 acre of land. The villagers claim the land is part of the Mwamlai Scheme and were anticipating a sub-division of the land. The affected residents followed-up on the incident with the Villager Elder, Chief, and Assistant County Commissioner (ACC), who were not aware of the impending demolition.
When they went to the Officer Commanding Police Station (OCS) office in Jomvu they were informed that there was a Court Order in place. The land is said to have been sold to a private developer. They are puzzled and don’t know how it changed hands without their knowledge.
“We have lived here for more than 60 years. My grandmother used to farm in this area before the Moi International Airport was built, she used to pass through the Airport land to the Bokole area, before the Airport was fenced,” said Wilson Nyamawi, a resident of Mwaeba.
Mariam Mugo at her demolished house in Mwaeba, Jomvu Sub-county.
He added that over the years no one has come forth to claim ownership of the land. They were taken aback when the private developer started to fence the parcel of land without informing the villagers. The residents claimed they didn’t know the existence of a case on the land and didn’t know to whom the court was addressed to.
“There was no meeting from the Chief, Village Elder or the ACC, yet it is said there is a Court Order that we have not seen. Our houses were demolished,” decried Nyamawi. Mariam Mugo, a resident, stressed that they have not met the private developer and were not involved in the case. She noted that in 2011, they were issued with squatter numbers.
“I now sleep outside with my grandchildren, a disabled son and my elderly brother-in-law. We cook outside when it rains we sleep hungry because we have nowhere to cook. We live in fear of our belongings being stolen by criminals, with no one to help,” said Muga, appealing to the government to heed their call.
“We have our crops here, but we have been told this place is not ours, yet since I was born, I have not seen the owner coming. I am 58 years old now, I am the one looking after the coconut tree due to my dad’s old age,” said Ndegwa Munga He added that the farm is the source of living for his family. The demolition has disrupted learning for his children and he can no longer go to work.
“We have become guards of our household items. We don’t go to work to earn our daily bread. We have received letters from schools because our children don’t go to school. Their uniforms have been torn,” lamented Munga.
