Lukenya West landowners in Mavoko area of Machakos want the government to intervene and stop a new developer who has encroached on their parcels of land.
Residents say they were asked to pay Sh200,000 to Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB)for each parcel of 50 by 100 for regularization, valuation and surveyor fees but after paying the money, someone else has taken over their land backed by armed security.
The land in dispute was previously owned by East African Portland Cement Company (EAPC) but KCB took over as part of a deal to settle a debt and everyone was to pay the Sh 200,000 regularization fee to legitimately own the land.
The parcel of land is located along Nairobi -Mombasa highway next to Green Park gardens and Daystar University and also adjacent to the land the government had done forceful evictions earlier on.
Mark Nzioki, a land owner in Lukenya since 2015, is devastated because he owns 8 parcels of land, he followed due process and paid the Sh200,000 regularization fee for each parcel amounting to Sh1.6 million.
Nzioki adds that after paying the fee to KCB, they gave him a receipt of the same and with the help of a surveyor put beacons on his land only to find a new developer has dug trenches on the land and building blocks ready to set up a perimeter wall and has armed police guarding the site.
Timothy Kioko, a businessman in Mavoko whose land is on the main road, is also crying foul after paying KCB and receiving a receipt adding he has been asked to demolish his wall yet he has had the land for over 10 years and has invested heavily on it.
He noted that Sh200,000 is not for buying the parcel of land because after paying, the surveyor does his estimates and one is told the amount to pay from Sh5-30 million according to the size of the land.
Kioko said the developer has threatened to demolish their structures if they don’t vacate and others have begun relocating but they don’t understand why KCB received their money knowing quite well there was a new buyer.
Machakos Woman Representative, Kamene Kasimbi, after hearing the plight of Lukenya landowners, called upon other leaders and the government to intervene and stop the new developer from encroaching on their properties.
Kamene castigated KCB on receiving money from landowners and then selling the same parcel to a new developer which will result in chaos for Mavoko residents.
“This is a recipe for chaos, we demand the developer to stop with the ongoing construction and we want immediate action from KCB,” added Kamene.
She termed the action unfair and inhuman for the developer to swoop on the land and start developing when most people are on holiday and schools are to start in a few days.
When KCB was contacted they said they have heard all the grievances and are looking into the matter.
This comes a month after Machakos County Commissioner Josephine Ouko encouraged residents to cooperate in the regularization process.
Ouko said the government had intervened after a court ordered evictions on the said land and encouraged the people who were residing in the parcels of land to register for the regularization process to legitimately own the land.
