Waitiki fears losing controversial farm in Likoni to squatters, blames NLC

The Waitiki farm owner Evanson Waitiki has expressed fears of losing his expansive land to “illegal squatters” due to the activities being undertaken by the National Land Commission without involving him.

Speaking in a telephone interview on Sunday, Mr Waitiki said being the aggrieved owner of the 930-acre land, the commission should involve him in any activity regarding his Likoni property.

“I am always shocked to learn from the media on what is happening to my Likoni property without my consent and this is a violation of my individual rights,” he added.

NLC has been conducting the identification of 'genuine’ squatters and survey of the controversial land in dispute before meeting the Ministry of Land officials to discuss its report.

According to Mr Waitiki, he is not opposed to the government doing what it could to resolve the dispute involving his land but it should have the courtesy to inform him without making unilateral decisions over his property.

“When people invade your property and begin claiming it is their ancestral land then you know there is trouble brewing and this is what I want the government to resolve by telling the invaders that was somebody’s property,” he said.

He said that he was ready to prove to any 'doubting Thomases’ that when he bought the expansive piece of land in 1975 there was nobody living on it as the squatters have been claiming.

EJECTED AFTER LIKONI CLASHES

“Two years after the break-out of the Kaya Bombo clashes in 1997, I was forcefully ejected from my farm by agitated raiders who threatened me with dire consequences if I returned to my farm,” he said, adding that this forced him to seek legal redress to reclaim his land.

But in his absence, the invaders subdivided the land and started dishing it out to third parties who hurriedly put up palatial houses on the acquired plots culminating into the current standoff between him and the squatters.

Saying he was ready for negotiations, Mzee Waitiki appealed to the concerned government agencies to keep him informed on whatever they intend to do on the farm.

Contacted for comments, the NLC chairman Muhammad Swazuri said it was too early to involve Mr Waitiki adding that what they were doing did not warrant his involvement.

INTERNAL AUDIT

“This is an internal audit of the commission that will help us understand how we can resolve the land dispute.

“At this moment, we do not see the need to involve him but when our report of survey and identification is ready we will definitely contact him,” he said.

He asked Mr Waitiki to be patient as the commission and the government finds ways of not only resolving the land dispute but also getting a lasting solution without hurting any squatters.

According to Dr Swazuri, the commission has been identifying genuine occupants and conducting perimeter survey on the controversial land.

“We believe our report will go a long way to resolve the Waitiki land saga once and for all immediately we complete what we are doing internally,” he said.

Dr Swazuri was over the weekend quoted by a section of the media saying he would be meeting with the acting Land Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i to discuss the squatter problem on the Waitiki farm.