This archive report was first published on 24 June 2020.
On June 24, 2020, a violent land dispute in Nairobi's Embakasi Ranching Company turned deadly when a young man's hand was chopped off.
Mathew Ochieng, one of the youths involved in the dispute, was allegedly hired by a local politician to demolish a concrete wall built on a contested parcel of land.
However, the situation quickly escalated, with police forced to disperse the warring youths with teargas and shooting in the air.
Two local politicians have been at the center of the dispute, each staking claim over the piece of land and using local youth to fight off each other, leaving many injured in violent skirmishes.
The ranching firm has been at the forefront of the issue, with the President directing the Ministry of Lands to sort out the double allocation issue by issuing title deeds.
Locals claim that the politicians sold off the parcel to two clients, who are not squabbling over it, with the help of the sellers.
The land has been fenced and demolished three times, with the latest incident leaving Mathew Ochieng severely injured.
Njiru Deputy County Commissioner James Chacha confirmed the incident, adding that the police have commenced investigations.
The ranching company's chairperson, Lucy Nyokabi, declined to comment on the issues but said that they have reached out to the two parties to ascertain ownership of the land.
