Land fraudsters are on the prowl in Thika and are using all manner of tricks to wrestle the prime parcels from the bonafide owners and sell unsuspecting private developers.
Prices of centrally located land parcels have skyrocketed in Thika since the completion of the Super Highway and the grabbers in collusion with some Ministry of Lands personnel identify empty parcels mostly owned by elderly people with little knowledge on land matters or those whose owners have died. They work closely with lands officials.
Those with allotment letters from the former local authority which was in place before the county governments took control and individuals with ballot papers and certificates from land buying companies are also easy prey for the the conmen.
John Mihingo Kamau
is one such victim and now fears for his life after a private developer allegedly grabbed his 7.2 acre parcel and has been sending hired goons to scare him off the land.
He said the thugs had torched his house and burned some vital documents while a file at the lands office which could act as a back up has gone missing.
Mihingo said he has occupied the land near Thika River since 1975 where he has been operating a quarry stone crusher with his children.
He said before the Kenya Land Commission gave him the lparcel it was unkempt and deserted but he has since put in more than Sh12 million to develop it.
“I
have all
documents showing that I am the legal owner but I recently realised that some senior staff at the Thika lands office are working with a certain private developer to evict me,” he said.
He produced some of the documents that
he managed to save and maps from Ardhi House in Nairobi and payment receipts to the former Thika Municipal Council and Kiambu county
government to justify his claim.
Judy Mwihaki has also recorded a statement with police in Thika after a private developer bought their land and acquired another
different
title deed. She said strangers have been harassing the family by throwing human, waste, lighting fires and hurling petrol bombs in the compound to scare them away from their deceased parents land.
A new assistant lands registrar in Thika Bernard Leitich showed the Star some of forged documents used by the fraudsters in collusion with some lands officials.
He said in most cases the fraudsters forge land officers signatures and urged the public to verify any land documents with the office.
Leitich advised Mihingo to visit the office for advice but state that any title deed cancellation is the prerogative of the court.
Last week a lands registrar from Thika was charged in court for issuing two separate documents for the same piece of land.
Ruiru based land dealer George Kaimburi advised the public to be extra careful when buying land so as not to end up being connedor sold land
that is already owned by other people.
