NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 15- In Nairobi, there are goons for hire.
They do the dirty job for the ‘faceless’, often wealthy individuals planning to wreak havoc on the people. They are also used during political activities, with the sole responsibility of causing havoc.
The goons for hire have also been used to protect illegally acquired property or land, if not grabbing it. They are fierce and act with outright impunity as if enjoying some high-level immunity.
If arrested, the faceless individual, some politicians are quick to bail them out or ‘purchase’ their freedom.
Such victims of their actions are residents of Sossian estate in Nairobi’s Embakasi East constituency, who are living in fear of attacks.
They are targeted by goons said to have been hired by a land buying company that wants to allegedly grab their multi-billion properties.
The armed goons have been marauding in the estate while causing chaos. They recently demolished walls at a medium-sized hotel in the area with intention of grabbing its parking space.
Sosian Five Courts Residents Association is now contemplating reaching out to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga for intervention after numerous calls to the government, pleading for protection landed on deaf ears.
They have previously written to the National Security Council (NSC), but nothing happened.
They had also petitioned President Uhuru Kenyatta, his deputy William Ruto, Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i, the Chairperson of Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA), and Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the National Land Commission.
In their petition to the NSC, the association detailed the circumstances that sired their dispute with Kiambu Dandora Farmers Company Limited (KDFCL) that has laid claims to the land measuring 818 acres.
“We have obtained court orders to stop the acts of lawlessness. Kiambu Dandora farmers company, the local administration, and police have violently demonstrated they do not recognize court orders,” said the chairman of Sosian Five Courts Residents Association Samuel Irungu Mwangi.
The land, reference number 11379/3, had been acquired by the government in 1974, compulsorily.
The land was vested in the government on July 24, 1974, and compensation for the land was deposited in the High Court after a dispute arose between KDFCL and Dandora Housing Scheme Ltd both claiming ownership in pursuit of the compensation payment.
The association says an entry was on November 20, 1974, and made against the title vesting the property in the government on a certificate of title Number IR 23514 and no further entries were made on the title number 11379/3 as it ceased to exist.
But KDFCL claims the land registered as 11379/3 as their property and wants it from the occupants.
“On May 29, 1991, a company known as Amboseli Court Limited, like many other Kenyans, applied for allocation of Government land for residential and ancillary services estate development which application was approved on June 14, 1991,” the petition reads in part.
“Over the years, the 818 acres, has been developed and is occupied by hundreds of thousands of Nairobi residents who have developed their property through hard work, bank loans.”
The area now covers a large part of Eastlands in Nairobi including Umoja 1 & 2 Estate, Kayole estate, Komarock Estate, Kariobangi Civil Servants Scheme, and Kariobangi light industries.
Others are Steel Structures, Coca Cola, New KCC, Emco Sweets, Emco Billets Dandora site and service scheme, Mama Lucy Hospital, Sosian Estate, and as late as the year 2009, Nasra Estate and other schemes.
Amboseli Court Limited was issued with a letter of allotment on July 16 1998 and further made all requisite payments through two bank cheques of Sh4, 031,513, and Sh8,943,167.00 being standard premium and stamp duty on October 21, 1999.
Amboseli Court Limited subsequently subdivided the land and the titles were issued and registered as LR NO.15400/1-15400/595, developed all requisite infrastructure including –roads, sewer water reticulation among others, and sold the properties to interested Kenyans who were issued with title deeds for the respective parcels.
The association laments that NSC and government security agencies did not take action after the petition, which was even published on a local daily.
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