Traders in Njiru area along Kangundo Road are up in arms against a team of grabbers based at the Office of President Uhuru Kenyatta and supported by area OCPD.
According to the traders who demonstrated recently with placards, the grabbers led by the Principal Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Interior and National Coordination, Kangethe Thuku, are eyeing the 800 acres along Kangundo Road which was bought by the government from Kiambu Farmers Housing Society with the sale brokered by Kiambu Dandora Housing Company.
However, after acquiring the land, it was sold to private companies, individuals and politicians with the government ignoring the original intention of buying the piece of land from the group.
The individuals bought the land through loans and cash with some who bought through loans failing to properly finance their obligations forcing banks to auction the pieces of land. Now some of the people being targeted for eviction by well connected Office of the President operatives are innocent buyers who bought their pieces from auctions.
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The past few days has witnessed running battles between gangs, the police and innocent buyers in the area while a new set of crooked but well-connected individuals seems to be eyeing the pieces of land. They are not only targeting pieces owned by individuals but also companies like New KCC, Coca Cola, Supa Loaf, Steel Structures, U-Haul, Laxmanbhai Construction, Emco Steel Factory among others.
Principal Administrative Secretary in the Office of the President Kangethe Thuku has been variously mentioned by traders and investors in the area as the man using the current Njiru Deputy County Commissioner James Chacha and the Buru Buru OCPD Adamson Bungei. The PAS is said to be financed by other corrupt businessmen like Abshir Hachi Afrah who owns NETGAS and is behind the grabbing of a piece of Export Processing Zone land in Athi River.
Guys, I hear that someone who is very influential in Jubilee has grabbed EPZ land in Athi River and built a Petrol Station. I am sending a team of locals to dig and we will unmask. Meanwhile, these are the directors. #KenyaSinking pic.twitter.com/XyhZDMII3k
— Robert Alai (@RobertAlai) February 28, 2019
PAS William Kangethe Thuku is reported to be interested in the piece of land as he served in the area previously as District Commissioner.
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Abshir Hachi Afrah and others are said to be positioning themselves to benefit from the vacuum which will be left in case the current owners and investors are evicted from the area.
Traders and investors based in the area are now looking at the Nairobi Metropolitan Services to move in and give solution to the difference which has turned the area into a gangs’ playground. Barely a month passes before a fight breaks out between guards protecting pieces of land and police sent by well-connected businessmen and political leaders.
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Grabbers in the area almost solely hide behind the amorphous Kiambu Dandora Farmers Company Limited to execute their mission around the Umoja, Kayole, Komarocks Ruai area. In 2014, they bribed top executives in the Evans Kidero administration to bring down properties along Kangundo Road while claiming that they were acting on behalf of Kenya Power Company.
Kenya Power Corporate Communications boss Kevin Sang denied that his company was involved in the demolition.
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Greed for illegally acquired land in the area has seen vigilantes rule the area as the situation is complicated police officers, county government officials and politicians who also benefit from such land transactions in exchange for protection — fuelling a cycle of disputes that mostly turn violent and take an ethnic slant.
The fight for the same piece of land has claimed the lives of many including Stephen Mukhabana, Kamlesh Ouma, Michael Omondi, Onesmus Mutinda, Jared Ochok, Simon Mwangi, Stephen Mutothori and John Maina.
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This is not the only piece of land in dispute in the area as Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, Nasra Estate and parts of Komarock and now Obama Estate are said to sit on the disputed land which belonged to Mr Khan family in 1950s.
Attempts by the Kiambu Dandora Company to use all means to illegally push the government to compensate it for the piece of land has not ended as it reportedly sued the government for at least Ksh 17 billion for Kayole and Umoja land they illegally acquired.
Residents of the area are now calling on police and the Director of Public Prosecution to step in and ensure that no life is lost as the matter is prosecuted in court. Residents accused area administration for the chaos recently witnessed as court orders are not respected.
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