A scuffle broke out between police officers and residents of Munyeti Farm in Athi-River, Machakos County, over a botched demolition on a disputed piece of land. On Saturday, July 28, 2024, angry locals fiercely clashed with police officers, accusing them of harassment and intimidation, successfully thwarting plans for demolition and forced evictions.
The masked, uniformed, and armed police officers, reportedly from Nairobi, raided the village, ordering residents to leave and warning that the land belonged to a government entity. Defiant residents protested, blocking the officers’ attempts.
The confrontation lasted for hours before the officers withdrew halfway. The police, lacking any proof of land ownership or a court order, claimed they were acting on orders from above, which further enraged the locals.
“The commandant of the police officers who are not from Athi River has categorically said that they are acting on orders from above. He told us that ownership documents are not what matters but rather who calls the shots.
“The utterances and threats speak volumes of how rogue agencies, which are supposed to protect Kenyans, can stretch. We will not be cowards as residents to vacate our land; we know our rights,” Jackson Kasamu, the community spokesperson, said.
Locals claim to have been residing on the 50-acre piece of land for decades and accuse government officials of using police to harass them with the intention of grabbing the land. They question why eviction operations are being carried out solely by police officers without any formal communication and why Athi-River Sub-County police officers are not involved.
The residents believe that cartels are collaborating with unknown police bosses to conduct illegal operations.
“The contingent of police officers is not from Machakos County. There is no representative of the police command in our county, and that means it is a dubious exercise being carried out without any notice on a weekend.
“We are now living in fear of the unknown because of what we have witnessed; women and children are the most affected,” Pauline Wanjiku said.
They now appeal to state agencies to investigate persons invoking powerful individuals’ names to grab land.
“We appeal to the DCI to investigate who these individuals are who have powers to consolidate such a high number of police officers to intimidate locals while invoking names of state house bigwigs,” Samuel Maithia, a local, appealed.
The massive demolition recently carried out by the government on land belonging to Portland Cement Company is said to have fuelled land disputes in the Mavoko area.
Locals say land grabbers of cartels based in powerful state offices are thriving on intimidating locals, warning them of pending demolitions and forceful evictions similar to what happened to Portland land.
Athi-River Sub County police commander Jos Mudavadi said he was not privy to the said demolition plans nor had he deployed the said police officers.
He reassured residents of enhanced security and urged them against taking the law into their hands further, urging them to seek court redress on matters of land.
“I am not aware of any scheduled demolitions, and I have not deployed police officers to carry out any major operation. All my officers are on normal security patrols. I urge all locals to maintain law and order and report any suspicious incident. On matters of land, the agitated factions involved in disputes seek court intervention,’’ Mudavadi confirmed.
Expansive undeveloped chunks of prime land and proximity to Nairobi are also cited as reasons for rampant land disputes among warring factions.
