Invaders forcibly evicted from Britons’ land
Hired youths pull down structures built on a 230-acre piece of land belonging to the Stubbs and Slatter family in Kilifi County. Police forcibly evicted the locals who had invaded the land, saying it is a privately owned property. PHOTO | KAZUNGU SAMUEL | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- A contingent of about 50 police officers stormed the farm at around 10am, although the locals had already disappeared after getting information about an impending police operation.
- The head of the operation, Elisha Ngetich, who is also the county Administration police commandant, told Nation.co.ke that police had to act and evict the intruders because the land is not public property.
Police on Friday morning forcibly evicted over 1,400 squatters encroaching on land belonging to a British family in Kilifi, burnt their structures and arrested their leader for interrogation.
The squatters had two weeks ago invaded the 230-acre farm in Bofa/Kiwandani and started putting up structures and claiming ownership of the land.
Mbuyuni Squatters Association chairman Mataza Chilumo was arrested by criminal investigation officers and was still being interrogated.
Police shot in the air to scare away spectators who were thronging the site to witness the burning of the houses.
A contingent of about 50 police officers stormed the farm at around 10am, although the locals had already disappeared after getting information about an impending police operation.
The head of the operation, Elisha Ngetich, who is also the county Administration police commandant, told Nation.co.ke that police had to act and evict the intruders because the land is not public property.
Earlier, County Commissioner Joseph Keter had warned the 1,400 invaders to leave or be forcibly removed by police.
The National Land Commission (NLC) has also ruled that the land in Sokoni Ward belongs to a British family.
“This country is not ruled by anarchy, where a person goes to any idle land and takes it without following the law,” Mr Keter told journalists in Kilifi Town.
According to the NLC, the land belongs to the Stubbs and Slatter family and those who have invaded it are trespassers.
