100 raid Nyeri home in land dispute, one killed

One attacker was killed and 16 others arrested when about 100 youths stormed a homestead in a Nyeri town land dispute on Wedesdaymorning.

Nyeri police boss Paul Kuria said the raiders stormed the homestead in Ngangarithi and started demolishing a house. 

Residents killed one of the attackers.

Police arrived after residents raised the alarm.

Kuria said preliminary investigations show the land has been in dispute for many years. Court orders have been issued but their content was not immediately known.

“We want to ascertain what the final court order was all about. But whatever  it might have said, it is no reason enough for some people to attack others,” he said.

Kuria said 16 people are in custody and police aim to arrest those behind the raid.

The police boss said several people were injured during the early morning raid but the extent of their injuries was not immediately known.

He could not confirm whether those injured were attackers or their victims.

A relative of the victims, Mwangi Mathenge, said they heard noises at 6am and saw more than 100 youths armed with pangas, metal bars and axes.

The attackers were demolishing a house, he said.

“Some ran away when we raised the alarm but others continued demolishing the house and destroying property. We informed the authorities who responded. The gang members started escaping,” Mathenge said.

He said the group did not have a court order.

One of the parties to the dispute is suspected to have sent the youths to demolish the property and evict occupants.

Mathenge said the land dispute dates back to the 1960s and that the attackers could have come from another area. They looted electronics and destroyed a vehicle, he added.

Another witness, James Mathenge, said police cornered the attackers in Nyeri town and fired tear gas to restore order.

(Edited by V. Graham)