A 30-year-old case ended up with celebrations for the victims after a court ruled against land grabbers who had taken over 20,000 hectares.
The ruling which was made by Judge Mwangi Njoroge in Nakuru favored the Utheri wa Lari Society who had been fighting to get their land back located in Maì Mahiu, Naivasha.
The judge issued a time period of 30 days for the land grabbers to evict the property failure to which force would be used to take them out.
The society members could not hide their joy as they celebrated following the good news and prepared to settle back into their land.
A file photo of Ûtheri wa Lari Society during a past land meeting
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Lari “We are happy because of the court ruling. We have gone through a lot of torture trying to beg back what belongs to us.
Sometimes we would come only for the land grabbers to chase violently. Many times we left with major injuries,” one of the members of the Society stated.
They however asked the Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki to provide security as they settled back to their land as they did not feel safe even after the court ruling.
“Kindiki should step up and guide the Utheri wa Lari so that we can go back to their land peacefully. A welfare and security committee should be formed to guard us, especially the old ones who cannot run to save their lives in case the grabbers invade our property again.
The land has been having issues since they began using our land to graze their livestock. They then claimed that the land belonged to them,” they uttered.
They had inhabited the land from 1988 until being forcefully evicted during 1992 clashes.
At a meeting attended by over 8,000 members of the society, Naivasha Constituency legislature Jane Kihara discussed the impact of the 1992 eviction on the area’s development and economy.
The eviction left two people dead and caused many members to abandon the area.
The ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has been fighting land grabbers and making sure that the legit land owners get back their lands.
EACC Office, Nairobi
File dead fight
