By OLIVER MUSEMBI
More than 600 families of squatters in Kiambu County who have been fighting for resettlement for 32 years are now banking on the courts and government intervention to secure ownership of land they say was allocated to them in 1994.
The landless former employees of Kamiti Forest, situated along the borders of Ruiru, Githunguri and Kiambu constituencies, say their dream of owning land remains elusive despite successive governments and decades of court battles.
The members of the Kamiti Forest Squatters Association claim their resettlement has been frustrated by legal disputes allegedly initiated by individuals seeking to deny them their rights.
Led by association chairman Philip Kitavi, the squatters spoke at the Thika Environment and Land Court, where a case expected to determine their fate was postponed for the fourth time this year.
The matter was adjourned to October 8 after the presiding judicial officer was reportedly unavailable.
Despite the repeated delays, Kitavi expressed optimism that the court would eventually rule in their favour, bringing an end to decades of uncertainty.
“There are persons purporting to be leaders of squatters who have been filing cases in an effort to frustrate the settlement process and deny us our rights. We plead with the court to ensure justice is served,” he said.
Kitavi accused alleged cartels of hijacking the settlement process and using money to obstruct justice. He appealed to President William Ruto and Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome to intervene and help resolve the dispute.
“The persons bent on snatching our land were nowhere when the late President Moi decreed that part of the forest be hived off and allocated to us. At the time, we were casuals in the forest and nearby coffee farms,” he said.
Other members, including Fatuma Boru, Eliud Kimani and Joseph Wanyoike, voiced concern over their future, saying their parents had been buried on land they claim has since been grabbed by wealthy individuals.
They vowed to continue fighting for the land, saying many families currently live in overcrowded temporary structures in Ruturu, with no alternative place to call home.
Wanyoike, who said he had lived in the area for more than 40 years, accused wealthy individuals of grabbing the land and depriving the original beneficiaries of their rights.
Fatuma recalled that she was a young girl when the land was allocated to her parents. She is now a grandmother with grown-up children, but the family is still waiting for the promised settlement.
