Court revokes all Mwea scheme title deeds over fraud
Residents of the Mwea Settlement Scheme in Embu County protest on August 1, 2018, against a statement filed in the National Assembly by Mbeere South MP Geoffrey Kingangai for the government to allocate a 44,000-acre piece of land to new beneficiaries. PHOTO | CHARLES WANYORO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Justice Yuvinalis Angima, of the Embu Environment and Land Court, said the entire process of sub-dividing and allocating the parcels was improper.
- Makima MCA Philip Nzangi welcomed the ruling, saying it marked the beginning of the prevalence of truth and justice in cases of land injustices.
- Nyaki Ngure, chairman of the Ngome Council of Elders, said they filed a petition against the process after realising that some individuals got between seven and 100 acres while deserving ones were left out.
A court on Thursday revoked all Mwea Settlement Scheme title deeds, saying the process was fraudulent and must be repeated.
Justice Yuvinalis Angima, of the Embu Environment and Land Court, said the entire process of sub-dividing and allocating the parcels was improper.
"The sub-division of the disputed land and issuance of title deeds was not properly done. Therefore this court revokes all the title deeds," he ruled.
He said the process must be carried out again under the strict supervision of the county commissioner.
REACTIONS
Makima MCA Philip Nzangi welcomed the ruling, saying it marked the beginning of ''prevalence of truth and justice in cases of land injustices''.
Mr Nzangi said ward representatives had been agitating for a repeat of the process in Mwea and Makima to undo the fraud.
He called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of all land officials who were involved, saying a conflict ensued, leaving a man dead and several others with injuries.
Nominated MCA Edna Muisyo termed the ruling a milestone in the pursuit of justice.
He cited Makawani in Mwea, where he claimed land was acquired illegally.
THE PETITION
Nyaki Ngure, chairman of the Ngome Council of Elders, said they filed a petition against sub-division of the land after realising that some individuals got between seven and 100 acres while the deserving ones were left out.
“We asked the court to nullify the 320 title deeds which were unfairly issued. The unfair allocation left many, who were deserving, without land,” he said.
He further said efforts to get the list of beneficiaries and their acreage from concerned officials were fruitless.
The council, through lawyer Ann Kithaka, sued Embu, the National Land Commission and all beneficiaries given at least seven acres.
