A family of ten in Kilifi was left stranded after losing a 25-year court battle involving their acre of land.
According to the family members, ‘the owner’ offered them Ksh7,000 to vacate on Sunday, November 13, or be evicted forcefully.Ā
“I have been given three days to vacate, and they have given me only Ksh7,000. Where will that money take me to? This is our home, and we are really stranded.
“The problem started a long time ago when we were told that the land had been sold and it has been a hard life since then,” one of the family members lamented.
They claimed the court labelled them squattersĀ in their ancestral home and land.Ā
“I was born and bred on this land but someone came claiming it saying that the land was sold to him,” another member stated.
Following the ruling, ‘the owner’ offered them Ksh7,000 compensation afterĀ area Member of the County Assembly (MCA),Rose Baraka, intervened.
“We have just agreed to receive the money, but I will help them fundraise for more to enable them to resettle,” she announced.
She further called upon the government to intervene and shield innocent landowners who are issued fake title deeds by ministry officials who collude with fraudsters.
Some of the family members suspected their lawyer was bought off by the purported owner, who was reportedly a wealthy man.
“The matter went to court but our advocates abandoned us when the order came,” the family lamented.
Additionally, the family believed their neighbour was involved in swindling their father by selling the piece of land when title deeds were issued.
A similar case of suspected land grabbing was reported in Westlands in November 2022, where a family home was demolished despite several court orders prohibiting the action.
The family of Asian descent learnt that their land belonged to a private developer, despite claiming to hold legal title deeds.Ā
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE
