This archive report was first published on 10 July 2021.
On Saturday morning, police officers, National Metropolitan Service officials, and members of Kiambu-Dandora Limited Company stormed the Umoja area in Embakasi West Constituency, Nairobi County, leaving residents homeless and their properties destroyed.
According to residents, the group claimed ownership of the land, which is occupied by several estates including Umoja, Nasra, Umoja 3, and Sossian, covering an area of 818 acres.
Area MP George Theuri condemned the early demolition, stating that it is against human rights as enshrined in the Kenyan constitution.
The MP also expressed doubt on the legitimacy of the demolition exercise, citing that police officers in charge of the demolition came from a different area of jurisdiction.
“Nobody knows who is the legitimate landowner because both parties have a title deed. We have tried to address the issue in parliament but we have not gotten a clear path,” Theuri said.
The land conflict is said to have taken 30 years, with many area residents holding title deeds.
