Justice
An elderly man is desperately seeking for justice after having lost his son and wife to a brutal murder which he believes had a connection with his piece of land that was invaded by people unknown to him in Kisumu City.
The 65-year-old Walter Ouma Owino from Ko Obura village Nyando sub county Kisumu narrated his ordeal to KNA Wednesday revealing how he has suffered depression since 2018 when some people raided his home and brutally killed his son and when the wife arrived from Ahero market and laid her eyes on the lifeless body of her son, she collapsed and died.
As if that was not enough suffering, the encroachers struck on the land he bought several years at Nyalenda estate and put up residential structures which they allegedly sold to different people. They later admitted that they made a mistake and realized that they should have done their project in the neighbouring land adjusted to Owino.
Owino explained during an interview that his parcel number KISUMU/PANDPIERI/487 [hearing known as the suit land] he acquired by a sale agreement dated second February 1985 at cost of Sh13,500 cash from one Norah Ogola Ongisa.
First forward to 2024, Owino explained that sometime in June 2018 while he was enjoying his peaceful occupation of the suit land, the defendant, Kennedy Otieno Okili, purchased a neighbouring land known as KISUMU/PANDPIERI/3155 but instead of occupying it, he invaded the plaintiff’s land and served demand letters to Walters tenants directing them to either vacate the rental premises in KISUMU/PANDIPIERI/487 or pay the rent directly to him (the defendant).
According to the documents of particulars of legal documents availed to KNA, the encroacher unlawfully demolished Walter’s rental houses without a court order. Secondly, he illegally and forcefully occupied the plaintiff’s land. Owino further accused the defendant of cutting off his monthly rental income by diverting the same to his own account. The defendant was also accused of denying the plaintiff peaceful occupation and enjoyment of private property.
The case was drawn and filled by Peter Warindu and Co. advocates based in Kisumu on June 16th 2024 still awaiting to be addressed by a magistrate decision. Owino expressed fear that the defendant has constantly been changing advocates in the hope that he would derail justice by weighing off, disorganizing and disenfranchising the plaintiff to lose interest in the case.
However, Owino has vowed to never abandon the protracted legal fight just to ensure that he successfully regains the legal land he bought from his own sweat.