Several families at Kisii Estate in Makongeni, Thika town have been left homeless after a group of hired goons demolished their houses over a simmering land tussle.
The families were forced to spend Friday night in the cold after the hired goons, armed with crude weapons invaded their houses and started demolishing them at around 11pm.
Occupants of the affected houses were forced to scamper for their safety.
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The attackers, who did not have court orders or notices, used mattocks among other weapons to demolish several perimeter walls, windows and break down doors.
The goons first targeted electricity connections to ensure they conducted their heinous acts under the cover of darkness.
Susan Wakonyo, a food vendor, claimed the goons wanted to kill her and her children but they escaped.
Wakonyo said she had not even finalized paying a loan she secured to put up her two-bedroom house.
“I have struggled all the way to settle my children here. I cannot imagine that my house was demolished when we have a working government. I have not even completed repaying my loan,” said Wakonyo
According to affected locals, trouble started after they bought the plots in 2013 from Kilimambogo Housing and Developers when other land companies started claiming ownership of the land.
Residents of the troubled Kisii estate said proliferation of brokers in the area has led to cases of double allocations and issuance of fake title deeds.
John Kimani, an elder in the area, said they have reported their problems to the Makongeni police station and area Director of Criminal Investigation offices but no action has been taken.
Kimani said that the tussle is on the verge of resulting to deadly attacks and urged the government to promptly intervene to avert loss of lives.
John Mwangi, the area MP’s personal assistant, accused the police of laxity in dealing with the land fraud problem.
He called on the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning to initiate a land clinic in the area to clean-up the land mess that has seen people lose lives, property destroyed and many left homeless.
The land clamor at Kisii estate came less than a week after another tussle emerged in Kiganjo village within the same constituency that almost led to violence.
“What is happening at Kisii is a replica of what happened at Kiganjo last week. I urge police to stop being partisan and instead do their work professionally without taking sides. These land-buying companies should be summoned clear the air on what’s happening,” said Mwangi.
