This archive report was first published on 14 October 2019.
Published on October 14, 2019, a land ownership dispute in Githunguri, Nairobi, has left over 400 homeowners facing eviction.
The dispute revolves around a 20-acre plot, originally registered as block 7349/34 Odonyo Sabuk in Mavoko, which was subdivided into 400 plots and allegedly sold to third parties.
Homeowners claim they bought the plots from Njoroge Wainaina Housing Company in 1993 at a cost of Sh16,500 each, but a new claimant, Mary Ruguru Njoroge, has emerged, contesting their ownership.
Ruguru argued in an affidavit that Njoroge, her late husband, did not sell the land to the homeowners and that the certificates of ownership are forgeries.
However, the homeowners claim to have been occupying the plots for over 20 years without any problems until a notice was published in a newspaper in December last year, giving them three months to vacate.
They have since filed a suit against Ruguru, seeking orders to restrain her from interfering with their occupation.
Despite the homeowners' claims, Athi River OCPD Samuel Mukisi has dismissed the allegations of armed gangs, stating that the situation is propaganda created by those who fear losing their land.
