Man writes to Matiang’i in desperate move to retain his land
An 82-year-old man from Machakos has written to Interior and Coordination of National government Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiang’i complaining about threats to his life over a piece of land.
Mzee Danson Mutuku Muema claims the Constituency Development Fund wants to grab the land from him.
Muema alleges he received threats from acting Deputy County Commissioner, Machakos Central George Kabwika when he went to his office to complain about encroachment on his private land in Mutituni, Mua Hills area where a government office is being constructed.
In the letter copied to the Director of Criminal Investigations, the Inspector General of Police and Lands Cabinet Secretary among other statutory offices, Muema said the State machinery in Machakos wanted to grab his land.
The Constituency Development Fund is constructing the office that is expected to host the DCC office.
Muema showed us the original title deed to the land LR. No. 276 and a decree issued by Machakos Land court in 2008, which forbade any party from interfering with his land.
However, on October 8, 2020, a group of people invaded the land and brought building materials.
“Sir, on October 8, 2020,I saw many people in my land and they had already brought sand, concrete, ballast and red soil.
They told me that they were working for the national government under CDF, which is under area Member of Parliament Victor Munyaka,” Muema said.
Muema who runs a private hospital in Machakos said he was shocked to hear from the DCC that the land in question had another title deed.
“He told me that they have another title deed and I told them there is no way one can register the land which has a decree issued by Machakos High Court.
He then started shouting at me and threatened me that if I stood there for ten seconds I would see him in his true colours,” Muema writes in his letter to Matiang’i.
“I got out of his office fearing for my life because I have seen innocent Kenyans dying for land,” he added.
Kabwika acknowledged that Mzee Muema came to his office, but denied threatening him.
He said he had no interest in the matter as a person but was aware of the controversy surrounding the said piece of land.
He said his office would invite the man and the lands survey department to establish the truth of the matter.
Munyaka said the land on which the said office was being built was public land and there was a title to that effect.
He said it was possible that the complainant was a neighbour to the public land.
Munyaka said they had decided to temporarily stop the construction works for due diligence to be done and a survey conducted to establish the true position concerning the land.
“It is unlikely that government can grab an individual’s land. As CDF we were shown the piece of land on which to build by the lands office,” said Dr Munyaka.
A local resident who is privy to the issues surrounding the land, Collins Kitaka said Muema’s land was number 276 while the public utility land was number 312 and that it would be wrong for him to stop the construction of offices as they will be of benefit to the community.
