[Source: Daily Nation, by Eric Wainaina]
A two-acre piece of land worth close to Sh200 million in Maziwa, Nairobi, said to belong to a housing society is at the centre of a protracted dispute, including ugly confrontations in a battle pitting the management of the society and politicians over its control.
The land belonged to Kamuthi Housing Co-operative Society, which claims that after settling its 152 pioneer members in 1990s, earmarked it for the construction of a market, dispensary, school, social hall and police station to benefit the members.
But before the land was used for the targeted mission, individuals who were not part of the firm and who reportedly worked in cahoots with some land ministry officials grabbed it, sub-divided and fraudulently sold part of it to third parties.
Other plots, officials say, were then irregularly allocated to people by Nairobi City Council and Ministry of Lands.
However, the society successfully filed a complaint with commissioner of land to have the title deeds revoked.
Lands ministry, in a later dated October 19, 2000 by a Mr M.M Kanake on behalf of then-commissioner of land, communicated the cancellation of the title deeds to the holders and recommended that the mess be corrected in favour of the society.
According to the society’s secretary Eliud Njoroge, the order was disobeyed, forcing the firm to forcibly take over the plots which are adjacent to Kamuthi’s offices in 2005 to facilitate the correction of the mess and subsequent surrendering of the land.
The matter also moved to court where it has been dragging, costing the firm a fortune.
Pending the determination of the case Kamuthi, which started as farmers co-operative society, constructed the police post and social hall, with the final plans being to have the land used for the benefit of the targeted people once the title deeds are revoked.
A group of people among them a section under the banner Nyandudo, who the officials claim to be non-members, and are being incited by politicians have accused the firm’s management of allegedly holding on to it and have in the recent past been invading it.
[Full article on: Daily Nation, by Eric Wainaina]
