A portion of squatters who had occupied a 55-acre land in Thome Estate, Nairobi, were forcibly removed following a long-standing ownership dispute.
Theirs is a land occupation that has dragged on for years with the squatters claiming to be in possession of valid allotment letters. They have now moved to the national government seeking intervention. They petitioned the authorities to speed up the issuance of title deeds that will not only confirm their ownership but also protect them from illegal evictions.
“We have authentic allotment letters that were issued to us a long time ago yet we continue to be harassed as illegal occupants,” one of the squatters said. “We implore the government to examine our papers and grant us justice.”
On the other hand, a private developer, reportedly the current owner of the land, insists that he has legitimate ownership documents but declined to speak further on the matter.
The Thome land has become a thorny issue next to the numerous land ownership conflicts in Nairobi that are indicative of the challenges posed by the land documentation, titling, and historical allocation processes.
Authorities have not yet made their stand known regarding the eviction or the next steps in resolving the standoff.
