Grabbing of school land goes on unabated

In the hierarchy of sins and crimes, those committed against innocent, defenceless children rank highest in the teachings of Jesus. We are told in Matthew 18:6 that it would be better to have a millstone placed around one’s neck and buried in the depths of the sea than to spoil or defile the lives of little ones. No wonder then the global disgust and outrage with revelations of systemic child abuse that took place in the Catholic church and other denominations in recent decades.

Children need our special attention and safeguarding due to their vulnerability and innocence. That protection must include not only bodily integrity but providing safe and secure places for them to learn, play and mature. In that respect, the revelation that land grabbers and opportunists are still targeting school buildings and playgrounds speaks volumes of how low this country has sunk in the barometer of integrity.

The whole nation witnessed the shameless encroachment on Lang’ata Primary School, Nairobi, early this year. There is fairly unanimous agreement as to who the infamous grabber is, but still no public acknowledgment. However, according to the lobby group Shule Yetu, Lang’ata is only one of 11,000 schools in the republic that are in danger of being seized by ruthless grabbers colluding with lands and administration officials.

On Monday last, Haki Yetu joined the Shule Yetu team, CSOs and parents of Mwamdudu Primary School in Kwale to highlight the plight of their school and to plant trees to secure their boundaries. The school was founded in 1966 and currently has 1,200 pupils on its eight-acre site. However, with the SGR and Dongo Kundu bypass projects both in the vicinity, the school land has become a prime target for the inappropriately named “private developers”. A nearby company called Colfax Holdings Limited has produced a title deed claiming that the school property is theirs.

They offered to relocate the school but when the “kind” offer was declined by the school committee, the company proceeded to excavate the land underneath and to demolish adjacent parents’ homes. Now, the school lies precariously on top of a hill, with the children climbing cliffs to access their classrooms.

National Land Commission Chairman Muhammad Swazuri in 2014 promised to set up a task force to investigate the matter. Nothing has happened to date. However, in a bizarre twist of fate, several of the school committee members were arrested and currently face charges in Kwale court of being members of the terrorist organisation Shabaab. Truth is that the only organisation spreading real terror and intimidation in the community is Colfax Holdings. But they walk free with the tacit but influential support of local leaders and the internal security administration.

There are similar horrific stories of school grabbing all round the country. Despite a presidential directive in January, 2015 to grant title to all public schools, not one school in the republic has been issued with a title to date.

Ultimately, the Mwamdudu matter is part of a larger scam to gain titles to public land and seek billions in compensation from taxpayers under the two aforementioned projects. More to follow on the same.

[email protected]; @GabrielDolan1