Land agency joins row over Sh30bn property
Kasarini Farmers Cooperative Society members demonstrate outside the National Land Commission offices over ownership of a land on Kiambu Road. The 369 acres is being claimed by over 300 families against five prominent Kiambu families. PHOTO| NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The land stretches from Kiambu Road to Eastern Bypass junction and has several landmarks including the high cost Runda Paradise and Paradise Lost recreational centre.
- The NLC has sided with former residents seeking to enjoin itself in a fresh case. Dr Swazuri said they are tracing records on the disputed land and plan to stop further developments.
- A scrutiny of the documents point to registration of two cooperative societies with the same name, claim of the same land but with different officials.
A row over ownership of land on Kiambu Road worth billions of shillings has deepened after the National Land Commission got involved.
The 369 acres, valued at about Sh30 billion, originally occupied by members of the defunct Kasarini Farmers’ Cooperative Society, is being claimed by over 300 families against five prominent Kiambu families.
The land stretches from Kiambu Road to Eastern Bypass junction and has several landmarks including the high cost Runda Paradise and Paradise Lost recreational centre.
Former area residents claim the land (LR 7153/R) was taken from them after some individuals formed a society similar to theirs in 1974.
Documents from the Commissioner of Cooperatives show that in 1964, Kasarini Farmers’ Cooperative Society was registered with Kahinya Wambeti as chairman, Njoroge Karanja (secretary) and Mutega Kimani as treasurer under Certificate No 1167.
Another Certificate of Registration No 2240 bearing the same name was issued on July, 10, 1974 with former Kiambu tycoon Zachary Gakunju as chairman, Moses Kibathi (secretary) and Mbugua Mwangi as treasurer.
A letter by the Commissioner of Cooperatives on May 13, 2015 confirmed the society Mr Gakunju chaired was however liquidated on April 9, 1983.
At the time of liquidation, other members were Samuel Githegi, Grace Muthoni, Mary Warurii, K. Kang’ethe, Christine Muthiri and Ruth Njeri.
A scrutiny of the documents point to registration of two cooperative societies with the same name, claim of the same land but with different officials.
Correspondence by the commission shows current owners are Samuel Githegi, Margaret Nyokabi, Christine Mithiri and Grace Muthoni.
The former residents, who staged a sit-in on Tuesday, demanded a share saying continued real estate developments may complicate the row further.
They also marched to National Land Commission offices on Wednesday where chairman Muhammad Swazuri said the five families failed to prove ownership of the land.
The NLC has sided with former residents seeking to enjoin itself in a fresh case. Dr Swazuri said they are tracing records on the disputed land and plan to stop further developments.
“We have made efforts for an alternative solution with the current owners but they have ignored our request for documents that prove their ownership,” Dr Swazuri said on Friday.
But Mr Victor Kibathi, a member of one of the five other families, has questioned Dr Swazuri’s intervention in the dispute.
In a letter on February 23 through lawyers Ndung’u, Njoroge and Kwach, he argued the commission cannot handle a matter already in court.
