600 families pin hopes on court as land battle drags into fourth decade
The squatters, who live around the border of Ruiru, Githunguri and Kiambu constituencies, say their dream of owning the land has remained unfulfilled since 1994, when former President Daniel Moi directed that the parcel be hived off from Kamiti Forest for their settlement.
More than 600 families of former Kamiti Forest workers in Kiambu County have turned to the courts and the government in a renewed push to secure 419 acres of land they say was allocated to them more than three decades ago.
The squatters, who live around the border of Ruiru, Githunguri and Kiambu constituencies, say their dream of owning the land has remained unfulfilled since 1994, when former President Daniel Moi directed that the parcel be hived off from Kamiti Forest for their settlement.
More than 30 years and four successive administrations later, the families say they are still waiting for the allocation to be implemented, with some beneficiaries dying before seeing the settlement process completed.
Members of the Kamiti Forest Squatters Association, led by chairman Philip Kitavi, have blamed prolonged court battles and alleged interference by individuals purporting to represent the squatters for delaying the process.
Their latest hopes are now pinned on a case before the Environment and Land Court in Thika, which they say could determine the fate of the disputed settlement.
The case was adjourned for the fourth time this year and is now scheduled for October 8 after the magistrate was reportedly away from duty.
Kitavi said the repeated delays had caused frustration among families that had waited for decades to secure the land.
“There are persons purporting to be leaders of squatters who have been filing cases in an effort to frustrate the settlement process and deny us our rights. We plead with the court to ensure justice is served,” he said.
He accused alleged cartels of attempting to hijack the settlement process and using money and litigation to frustrate the beneficiaries.
Kitavi appealed to President William Ruto and Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome to intervene and help resolve the dispute.
He said the beneficiaries were among former casual workers employed at Kamiti Forest and neighbouring coffee farms when the land was earmarked for their settlement.
“The persons bent on snatching our land were nowhere when the late President Moi decreed that part of the forest be hived off and allocated to us. At the time we were casuals in the forest and nearby coffee farms,” he said.
The families say the prolonged dispute has taken a heavy toll, with some beneficiaries dying before acquiring title to the land they were promised.
Fatuma Boru recalled being a young girl when the land was allocated to her parents. She is now a grandmother, with grown-up children, but says the family is yet to enjoy the fruits of the allocation.
Other beneficiaries, including Eliud Kimani and Joseph Wanyoike, said their families had remained in temporary and overcrowded structures in Ruturu, with no alternative land on which to settle.
Wanyoike, who has lived in the area for more than 40 years, accused wealthy individuals of taking over portions of the land meant for the squatters.
The beneficiaries also claimed that some of their parents had been buried on the disputed land, making the prolonged uncertainty a deeply personal issue for the affected families.
Despite the setbacks, the squatters vowed to continue pursuing the matter through the courts and Government until the settlement is concluded.
They said they were hopeful that the Environment and Land Court would finally resolve the dispute and pave the way for the families to take possession of the land they have been waiting for since 1994.
