Senior Njiru subcounty officials on Monday stormed a construction site in the KCC market in Mowlem and arrested freedom fighter Mwanaisha Bilali's granddaughter.
The officials, some of who drove into the market in private vehicles were accompanied by a contingent of heavily armed police officers in anti-riot gear. They took Masho Mamu to Buruburu police station for questioning.
The family of the late freedom fighter also known as Mama Uhuru protested against the police operation. They said they acquired the land legitimately.
Mamu showed the officials several documents showing ownership of the four plots.
The plots include Numbers KCC 126, 127, C35 and C26 each measuring 50 by 100 metres. The controversial construction was ongoing on plot 126.
Njiru deputy county commissioner James Chacha ordered the construction works stopped. Tools belonging to the masons who were working at the site were seized.
“We got information that a private developer is building in the market. As a security team, we came to confirm. We have found that indeed there is ongoing construction,” Chacha told reporters.
He said the construction at the market had not been approved.
“We want to know why she is building oin a government property. There is a lot of impunity of individuals grabbing public land in Njiru subounty which must stop.”
Mamu left the station at around 6pm after recording her statement.
An official from the Nairobi Metropolitan Services also held a closed-door meeting with Chacha and Buruburu subcounty police boss Adams Bungei over the matter.
The family maintains that the plots were given to Mama Uhuru by President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2002 when he was the Minister for Local Government.
Mamu said they had all relevant documents to prove their claims, but are not ready to surrender their original copies to the security team.
“We feel that something isn’t right. Why do they demand the original allotment letters while we have shown them copies of most of the documents? Do they want to confiscate them in the interest of land cartels who have been trying to evict us?” she asked.
