Squatters on JM Kariuki land in Nyandarua now face eviction

Some of the squatters living on a land belonging to former Nyandarua politician JM Kariuki. They now face eviction by the late Kariuki's family. PHOTO | WAIKWA MAINA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Ndiritu Muchiri says the families have only been left in a 200-acre area occupied by the homesteads.
  • Ms Martha Wanjiku appealed to the national government to buy alternative land and settle them.
  • She said the 90-acre piece of land is the only source of their livelihood.

Over three thousand squatters living on a land belonging to former Nyandarua politician JM Kariuki in are in dilemma following an eviction threat by the family.

The late politician's family has already reclaimed about 90 acres of land which the squatters have been cultivating for over three decades.

Mr Ndiritu Muchiri, the squatter’s association secretary, says the families have only been left in a 200-acre area occupied by the homesteads.

Ms Martha Wanjiku said she has been on the land since 1959, long before the late JM Kariuki acquired it from a colonial settler.

TRADITIONAL DANCERS

“I joined a group of traditional dancers who entertained JM. He is the one who demarcated and donated the land to the dancers. Our population has since grown. Most of us are already grandparents, our children and grandchildren know no other home,” she said.

She said the 90-acre piece of land is the only source of their livelihood, which they use to produce food for their families.

She appealed to the national government to buy alternative land and settle them.

“The late JM had promised to assist us to acquire title deeds. We had an appointment with him to settle the matter a day before he was murdered. I remember he invited us to visit him on a Wednesday but he was murdered on a Tuesday,” said the elderly woman.