Library land grabbed in Thika recovered

A piece of prime land belonging to the Kenya National Library Services in Thika that had been grabbed by unknown individuals has been recovered.

The 0.75 acre land situated in Section 9 Estate within Thika town was meant for construction of a library but unscrupulous individuals managed to forge land ownership documents for the parcel.

The land is currently estimated to cost between Sh80 million and Sh100 million.

Recovery of the land was initiated by area MP Patrick Wainaina who has managed to have three title deeds produced for the piece of land revoked.

Wainaina who spoke on Friday after a prayer meeting with Thika clerics at Mugumo-ini Primary School in Thika town said the individuals who grabbed the land had already developed a section of it.

“Their long run came to an end. We have been pursuing them and we finally managed to have their fake title deeds revoked. We are in the process of getting a title deed for the land and this will ward off the greedy grabbers,” Wainaina said.

The MP noted that the government through the area NGCDF was planning to put up a Sh30 million library facility on the recovered land. He said that the project is already in the design stage and that construction would commence once all procedures are laid down.

He said the new modern library would benefit thousands of learners in Thika East and Thika West .

“The facility will also complement the old library that was put up within the town more than 30 years ago. It will offer a wide range of services to learners and the general public. I urge corporates and education stakeholders in this region to support this project,” the legislator said.

Wainaina noted that land grabbers in the region had been a thorn in the flesh for residents, saying that they were leaving nothing to chance to satisfy their insatiable greed for public land.

“They have become a nightmare for us but their days are numbered. I have requested for a land clinic in Thika and I’m optimistic that it will be the solution we need to end such cases,” he said.

The lawmaker also sent out a stern warning to land officials who have been abetting land grabbing in the region, saying they would be personally held accountable for the illegalities.

“The land officials who signed the fake documents allowing the corrupt individuals to illegally own public land will be personally liable for the crimes,” he said..

John Kirika, a former civil servant who has resided in Section 9 Estate for more than 40 years, said that the parcel had been a public land all along and wondered how it ended up in ownership of individuals.

“We were shocked when some individuals started developing this land which we have known for decades that it’s public land. But we are now happy that it has been recovered. The facility that will be put up here will greatly help our children,” Kirika said.

Edited by Henry Makori