About 300 families living in Salama village in Changamwe constituency, Mombasa, are living in fear of being evicted from the parcel of land they claim ownership.
On Sunday night, the residents said that hired goons tried to demolish their structures, but they managed to fight them off.
The 50-acre prime land in contention is overlooking the Port of Mombasa and is valued at more than Sh150 million, according to the residents, who said they have lived there for more than 50 years.
“We have lived here for over 30 years and even our parents are buried here, for all those years no one has ever come to claim ownership of this land. However, last year a renowned politician came here and claimed ownership,” David Gitonga, a resident of Salama village, said.
Gitonga said last November a politician came and informed them that a matter has been filed in court and asked them to get a lawyer to defend them against the planned eviction.
“We have been living in fear of not knowing when next the goons will attack. Our lives have been disrupted, and children have been affected such that some no longer go to school. We are calling on the government, especially President William Ruto to intervene on this matter,” he said.
The residents said the first attack by the goons was on January 24. The Sunday incident was the second time they were being attacked within a period of two weeks.
“I was injured and broke two ribs when I tried to fight the goons off. I reported the matter to the police and one person was arrested. The person was later released and the matter has gone silent ever since,” Kabosi Mbwana, another resident, said.
Mbwana said his father (now deceased) was one of the earliest people to settle in the land, saying that not even a single person ever came to push them out or claim ownership of the land.
Human rights defender Afiya Rama called on the government to investigate and hold to account those found culpable of illegally trying to evict the squatters.
She said that it was shameful for politicians to come and start disturbing innocent Kenyans by claiming ownership of their land without any documentation to prove that.
“We are warning the alleged politicians to stop disturbing these innocent Kenyans, a matter is already in court so let us await the determination,” Rama said.
“In the meantime, I call on the government to investigate and arrest all those behind these illegal eviction attempts.”
(edited by Amol Awuor)
