Kiambu family gets reprieve through mediation after a 50-year land dispute
Close relatives of Mzee Ngugi Gitagia who died in 1976 had waited for 5 decades to reach an agreement on the subdivision of a 7-acre parcel of land in their Kanyariri village home, Kabete Sub County.
Private mediation finally paid off for a family in Kiambu County, after an agreement was reached following a 50-year land dispute.
Close relatives of Mzee Ngugi Gitagia who died in 1976 had waited for 5 decades to reach an agreement on the subdivision of a 7-acre parcel of land in their Kanyariri village home, Kabete sub county.
At the time of his death, the deceased had left behind three widows and 20 children who were to share his property according to his verbal instructions which, however, lacked the backing of a will.
Succession court battles among family members began in August 1976, six months after the old man’s death, and dragged on for years in various courts and finally landed before Kikuyu Chief Magistrate Liza Lynne Gicheha in February this year who gave room for the private mediation process.
When the matter was mentioned in her court on June 26, 2026, Gicheha told the parties that a grant of award has been reached following private mediation efforts that were led by Dr Rose Kiiru, a psychologist.
According to one of the sons to the deceased Henry Mburu, the family dispute was earlier heard in a series of courts in Kikuyu, Kiambu and Nairobi, leaving them drained financially and emotionally.
Mburu said the conflict stemmed from disagreements by some of the family members on how the subdivision of the land should be carried out.
The first ruling on the matter was made in 1976 by then Kikuyu magistrate Kamau Njuguna who said the land should be subdivided according to the wishes of the late Mzee Gitagia.
However, some family members were not satisfied with the court ruling and went on to file more cases which dragged on for years.
Mburu expressed the family’s gratitude to the court and the family-appointed private mediator for their efforts towards ending the long-running dispute that saw five of the children of Mzee Gitagia die without inheriting their share of his estate.
“Most of us are now old people with grandchildren. When our father died in February 1976, were young people and never expected to go through this long-drawn succession battle,” Mburu observed.
He added: “We thank the Kikuyu court and Dr Rose Kiiru for the Solomonic role they played in bringing the dispute to an end. I appeal to other families in similar situations to embrace mediation because we have realized it works.”
He noted that their case was proof that alternative dispute resolution (ADR) through mediation, works and may save the parties involved a lot of time that is otherwise wasted through litigation.
Veronica Wanjiru Ngugi, a widow of the deceased, expressed her satisfaction over the outcome of the mediation and appealed to other family members to abide by its recommendations.
Gicheha set the matter for further mention on July 15 when the court will make its confirmation of award on how the subdivision of the land should be carried out in accordance with the private mediation recommendations.
