Meet families living as squatters in own land

They are yet to receive compensation for their parcels of land forcibly acquired by the government for the Sh63 billion Thwake Dam.

The families have raised concerns over what they said were attempts by some individuals, agents of the project’s main contractor China Gezuba Group of Companies (CGGC), to force them out of the land despite the fact that they hadn’t received compensation.

They have been forced to squat on parts of their parcels after the project took over most parts. They are expected to move from their entire parcels, which have been earmarked as project sites.

All the affected families are those that had land succession issues that needed the necessary government procedures before they were duly compensated.

Wambua Kiawa, 65, is one of the displaced persons. He lives in his late elder brother Mainge Kiawa’s home on the same land after he demolished his own houses two years ago.

The widower moved there with his seven children and daughters-in-law in 2019, thinking he was going to be compensated for his parcel, only for them to become squatters on their own land.

Wambua said he moved to his brother’s home after the sibling died. The deceased was buried at his relative’s home away from the land.  

His brother left behind children and a widow. The late Mainge’s wife opted to return to her parents’ home, while her children were adopted by relatives.

Wambua lives together with his seven children and two daughters-in– law alongside grandchildren in three mud–walled structures erected on a section of the 11.5 acres.

The family says they had lived on the land for 40 years. They bought the parcel after they moved from their father’s home in Mbooni.

All my neighbours were paid and left. I’m in the dark. Whenever I ask, they keep telling us we will be paid. The dam is almost complete while we are inside the site. Soon, water will cover our home

LEFT OUT

Wambua’s wife died in 2021 and was buried in Kilili village, Nzaui subcounty.

He was together with his daughters-in-law Elizabeth Mutua, 29, and Christine Mueni, 35, and their children when the Star visited their home.

“I wasn’t compensated for my land. The dam is almost complete while we are inside the dam site and soon, water will cover our home,” Wambua said.

“All my neighbours were paid and left. I’m in the dark. Whenever I ask about our payments, they keep telling us we will be paid. They only compensated for structures and trees, but they are yet to compensate us for our land.”

Wambua said their efforts as a family to have their pending payments cleared had been met with lots of hurdles.

Whenever he travels to the Ministry of Lands offices in Nairobi, Wambua always finds junior officers who can’t handle his matter.

“Our leaders have abandoned us. No one has ever come to find out if some families haven’t been compensated for their parcels of land forcibly acquired by the government for the project,” he said.

“I live here with seven children. My wife died in October 2021 and I was instructed not to bury her here. So, I had to inter her body on her relatives' land in Kilili, Nzaui subcounty. It pains me because her grave is far away from us.

“My elder brother Mingi Kiawa also died aged 70 and we buried him on a land with no homes. His grave is on a land bought and paid for partially; he couldn’t complete the payments because he wasn’t compensated either.”

Wambua said they could not move out of the land since they hadn’t been compensated.

He said they are struggling to earn their livelihood.

“They instructed us not to grow crops as they will be destroyed by the machinery working here. There is also the danger of contracting diseases due to the dust from the site, especially the small children. I have incurred the costs of travelling to pursue the payments.”

Wambua said they had lost hope on the payments.

Our land ownership documents have met all the requirements, including succession processes, but they keep telling us to wait. We are being forced to move out of the land

DOOMED TO POVERTY

His daughter-in-law Mueni said lack of compensation had subjected them to poverty since they were not allowed to till their land.

“We have young children who constantly fall sick due to the dust from the site. We trek to hospital, which is far away, since we can’t afford transport,” she said.

“Our land ownership documents have met all the requirements, including succession processes, but they keep telling us to wait. We are being forced to move out of the land,” Mueni said.

She said they had incurred lots of expenses oscillating between their home and Lands offices in Wote town, Makueni county, in vain.

Another victim, Mary Mbuva, 74, said her case was delayed by the succession process.

The widow said the project took over one of her parcels.

“They only compensated me for my structures, but, they are yet to sort me out for my land,” Mbuva said.

She said her husband died while waiting for the compensation and was buried in her new home after they moved from the project site.

“They have gone silent on the succession that preceds compensation. They had promised to take us to a lawyer who will assist in initiating the process but up to date, no one has come to us again,” Mbuva said.