Portland demolition victims bought land in cash, no transaction evidence
Hundreds of East African Portland Cement PLC land eviction victims paid for their parcels in cash, the Star has learned.
Several victims interviewed by this reporter revealed that they had no legitimate land ownership documents other than what they termed as the Aimi Ma Lukenya Society’s share certificate of membership.
Such victims have nothing to show as land transaction evidence.
All of them said they bought their land from Aimi Ma Lukenya Society officials and their agents.
“We as a church bought six pieces of 50 by 100 plots of land at Sh2.5 million from Aimi ma Lukenya Society officials in cash. We took six years to raise the money. We were issued with share certificates as ownership documents,” Mountain View Baptist Church priest Reverend Shadrack Musau said.
The church runs a private school, Mountain View Baptist Academy located on the same land LR NO: 10424 in Athi River, Machakos County.
Musau said they as a church settled on the land in 2011.
“We came here in 2011 with only 20 faithful, we had moved from Kitengela,” Musau said.
He said they had been living on the land for the last 14 years.
“The church currently has a population of 250 faithful while the school has 137 pupils. All my church members are victims of the demolitions,” Musau told reporters at the school compound on Monday.
This was the fourth day of the ongoing demolitions.
He said the mabati structured school was constructed for Sh1.5 million. Both the school and church were valued at Sh6 million.
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“We only have some church members as witnesses of land sale transactions between us and those who sold us the land, no bank transactions,” Musau said.
A spot check by the Star established that at least five such schools had been demolished alongside churches in the County village.
“We fear missing Nemis and assessment numbers in our school, we have suffered a lot,” Musau said.
Some victims said they paid for their parcels through Mpesa transactions.
“I’had three plots each measuring 50 by 100 metres. I bought one of the plots from Aimi Ma Lukenya at Sh100, 000 while the other two were Sh50, 000 each. I paid through a Mpesa transaction,” one of the victims who declined to be mentioned for fear of victimisation told the Star.
The school’s PTA chairman Julius Ndolo said candidates who are scheduled to sit their exams from tomorrow will miss them.
“They were to sit their exams tomorrow. But, now, together with their parents, they have fled this area after their homes were brought down. No pupils, teachers and classrooms,” Ndolo said.
Daniel Mwangangi said he bought his plot at Sh550,000 from the same association in 2020.
“I was issued with a certificate and they told me that the land’s mother title deed was in Aimi Ma Lukenya Society’s name,” Mwangangi said.
Mwangangi said his Sh18 million rental house investment had been demolished.
Portland demolition victims bought land in cash, no transaction evidence
