Some 2,000 squatters in Thika will get title deeds for land they claim former President Moi gave them to appreciate their support in the 1992 first multiparty election. The squatters, under the Maasai Village Self–Help Women Group, have battled to gain official ownership of the land for 26 years. The land measures 356 acres and is located in Kianjau.
Documents show the parcel still belongs to the government. The squatters’ efforts to acquire titles for the land have been fruitless, until now. The group had approached the defunct provincial administration many times for assistance.
Group chairman Ibrahim Woche on March 22 wrote to the ministry asking upon Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney to fast-track the issuance of title deeds. The matter was taken over by the National Land Commission who followed up the matter with Kiambu county executive member in charge of land. Kiambu county NLC coordinator Berinda Akello also in a letter to the commission noted the process of formalisation was started many times, including by the titling centre, but was often got abandoned midway.
The NLC officials led by the director of land administration Mercy Njamwea recently toured the land on a fact finding mission. Njamwea promised the squatters the commission has taken up the matter and called for patience as NLC embarks on the process to surveying and proper subdivision.
[Source: The Star,by John Kamau]
