More than 500 families residing in Mwihoko, within Ruiru Constituency, are staring at possible eviction after a private developer surfaced, claiming legal ownership of the land they have called home for decades.
The residents, some of whom have lived on the land for over 30 years, say they legally purchased their plots from a long-standing landowner and have never encountered any ownership disputes until now.
Many have invested heavily in developing their homes and building permanent structures.Tension rose after the developer convened a community meeting recently, where he announced that he had acquired sub-divisional titles for the land, giving him full legal ownership.
According to the residents, he is now demanding up to KSh 2 million from each household or else they vacate the premises.“This is our home. We bought this land legally and have lived here peacefully for years. We don’t understand how someone can just come and claim it overnight,” said one distressed resident.
The community is now calling on the government and relevant land authorities to intervene and investigate the matter, fearing mass displacement and the potential loss of lifelong investments.
Efforts to get a comment from the said developer or the area land office were unsuccessful by the time of publication.
This unfolding land row adds to the growing number of property disputes in the Nairobi Metropolitan area, where questions over land ownership and title legitimacy continue to spark tension and uncertainty among residents.
