3 sisters have sued the National Land Commission for allegedly taking over possession of their land. The land is valued at sh 600 million and sits in Nyeri town. Loise Mugweru, Ruth Mugweru, Winnie Mugweru say they inherited the land from their father Maaka Mukuhi Mugweru.
Through their lawyer, the 3 sisters argued that the dispute over the land had been settled by the Court of Appeal. The court ruled that the land belonged to the three sisters and wondered why NLC would encroach on a private land and revoke the title without due process.
According to documents filed in the court, the dispute dates back to 1977. This is when Julius Gichuhi Kimira sued Mugweru over the land’s ownership. In October 1989, the court ruled in Favor of Mugweru but Kimira filed an appeal. However, in April 1998, the Court of Appeal dismissed his claims and conformed Mugweru’s ownership.
The siblings claimed that upon the death of their father in 2007, they applied for letters of administration of his estate. They were given the letters in April 2017 allowing them to take possession and manage the properties.
According to their lawyer, Loise Wanjiru and Godwin Gichuhi had made a complaint before the commission in January 2015. NLC allegedly acted on that complaint and directed the Registrar of Lands titles to revoke Mugweru’s ownership to the land.
The commission failed to notify the sisters of the complaint and weren’t offered a chance to defend their possession. For this reason, the rules of natural justice were not followed.
[Courtesy of The Standard Media by Paul Ogemba]
