Kiambu squatters plead with President Ruto to end 32-year land row

More than 600 squatters in Kiambu County have appealed to the government to intervene in a decades-long land dispute that has left them uncertain about their future.

Members of the Kamiti Forest Squatters Association claim they have been denied their land rights for 32 years, blaming prolonged court battles and alleged interference by powerful individuals seeking control of the 400-acre parcel near Ruiru town.

The squatters made the appeal at the Thika Environment and Land Court after a case concerning the disputed land was postponed for the third time this year.

Association chairman Philip Kitavi said the latest delay had deepened the frustration of families who have waited for decades to secure ownership of the land they say was allocated to them by the government.

Kitavi said the squatters were informed that the court was on recess and that the matter would not be heard until September 15.

“We appeal to the government to act and end the years of anxiety and uncertainty. Many of the allottees have since died without getting their rights,” he said.

Kitavi said the dispute dates back to 1994 when former President Daniel arap Moi directed that part of Kamiti Forest be degazetted to facilitate the settlement of former forestry workers and casual labourers from neighbouring coffee farms.

He said the land had become associated with insecurity at the time, prompting the government to consider settling the workers there.

According to Kitavi, most of the current claimants are children of the original beneficiaries, many of whom have since died without obtaining formal ownership documents.

He accused alleged land cartels, wealthy individuals and some local administrators of frustrating the settlement process through court cases and destruction of homes and crops.

Kitavi appealed to President William Ruto, the Judiciary, Parliament and the Lands Ministry to intervene and resolve the dispute. He also called on Chief Justice Martha Koome to examine the prolonged litigation.

“The matter was presented before Parliament and our claim was approved by the relevant committee. However, a cartel has been using the court to stall the settlement process,” he said.

Other squatters, including Alice Wanjiru, Eliud Kimani and Joseph Wanyoike, said their families had lived on the land for decades.

“Our parents are buried on the land yet we cannot access their graves. These days we are not even allowed to till the land as we used to,” Wanjiru said.

The squatters want the government to expedite the settlement process and secure the land from further encroachment.