Bulldozers Raid Athi River Homes Hours After Ruto Order

Effecting Ruto's directive, more than 20 heavy machinery, under the security of armed General Service Unit (GSU) officers, began flattening permanent and temporary structures on the prime land.

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Oct 14, 2023 - 09:39
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Bulldozers Raid Athi River Homes Hours After Ruto Order
Photo collage of homes being demolished at Athi River on October 13, 2023. /ALVAN LOVE

Dozens of homes, schools and churches in Athi River were demolished on Friday evening, October 13, after President William Ruto revoked the title deeds of those who have not developed land there for over 10 years.

The Head of State had issued orders over land grabbed from the East Africa Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) in the Mavoko sub-county, declaring that land grabbers who had seized the land would be kicked out to pave the way for Export Processing Zones (EPZ) Zone expansion.

Effecting Ruto's directive, more than 20 heavy machinery, under the security of armed General Service Unit (GSU) officers, began flattening permanent and temporary structures on the prime land.

Notably, some of the homes were still under construction as the exercise forced residents to seek alternative means of accomodation.

A bulldozer demolishing homes in Athi River on October 13, 2023. /NATION.AFRICA

In videos seen by Viral Tea, residents were captured salvaging what was left from the demolitions, with others moving their valuable household items to other destinations.

Police officers also condoned off all entries to the land along Mombasa Road to keep off the homeowners, who watched from a distance as their properties were brought down.

Former Tusker Project Fame contestant Alvan Gatitu alias Alvan Love filmed the exercise which saw activity consisting of a myriad of vehicles coupled with police cars and officers firing teargas to disrupt any form of protests.

Gatitu complained that the President's directive left many families with nowhere to go because of the demolitions and that the victims were being treated unfairly as they purchased the land without knowing that it was being contested.

The comedian also shared a message sent to the resident's WhatsApp group by the chairman who allegedly sold them the land.

"Hello members, my hearty felt concerns to those affected. It was really inhuman, we were messed up by our lawyer, but soon things will be okay. We have held up a high-profile consultative meeting.

"Our able governor Her Excellency Wavinya Ndeti has talked with the concerned parties and top national administrators and demolitions have stopped," read the message in part.

After a court found the landowners guilty of trespassing, Ruto ordered the grabbed land to be recovered and its ownership transferred to the EPZs in Athi River. 

"I have given clear instructions to the management here that all speculators, people who have held titles to pieces of land for 10, 15, 20, 30 years without developing them should be revoked so that we can give it to people who want to use this facility," he said.

The Court Case

The land has been at the centre of a dispute between the giant cement maker and squatters who started invading the land after EAPC finished its mining operations on the land about 10 years ago.

Through ELC case No.74 of 2014 as consolidated with Petition No.10 of 2018, Aimi Ma Lukenya Society officials had sued EAPCC seeking a declaration of ownership and permanent injunction against the cement processor from dealing with the land until the matter is fully heard and determined by the Court.

According to court documents, the society had produced a fake title deed with entry No. 7, claiming the land was transferred to Aimi Ma Lukenya Society on May 20, 1980, when the society was not in existence since records at the Registrar of Societies show that the Society was registered on September 25, 2014.

In her ruling, the presiding judge noted that the plaintiff had failed to physically serve the amended pleadings to all the Defendants within 21 days as ordered by the Court on May 17, 2023. The judge had cautioned the plaintiff that failure to do so would lead to striking out of the case.

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