CS: Ruiru land belongs to residents, grabbers attempting forgery
More than 3,000 individuals residing in Gikumari village, located in the Ruiru sub-county, can finally feel a sense of relief as the government has stepped in to resolve the conflict between them and an unidentified private developer.
Residents from Ruiru East Block 4, who belonged to Juja Farm 1976 Ltd and Githunguri Ranching Company, are embroiled in a dispute regarding a 2,550-acre land parcel. This disagreement involves unidentified influential figures who encroached on the property last month and commenced road construction activities.
Residents in the area have been blaming the government for protecting those accused of land grabbing. This came after village authorities revealed in a recent meeting that the residents’ property ownership documents were invalid, and they would eventually be forced to leave.
Nevertheless, while visiting the Ruiru Lands Registry on Thursday, Alice Wahome, the Lands CS, affirmed that following a comprehensive inquiry, her department has verified the legitimacy of the title deeds owned by the residents. She also identified the intruders as impostors who falsified documents to unlawfully claim ownership of the land.
The CS who was accompanied by Ruiru MP Simon King’ ara and Ruiru Lands Registrar Robert Mugendi, said the crooks forged a title deed purporting that it belonged to Ruiru East Block 4.
“They initially started with LR No 72811 for the entire block and then found that may not work, they canceled it and came up with LR No 172788. As of today, the document is being floated and a copy was forwarded to me and I will not say by whom, but in some official capacity other than the land office. That title belongs 72811 to property LR No 295/343 situated in the City of Nairobi measuring 0.4063 ha. This property is currently registered under Evangelical Mission for Africa. That number belongs to another parcel of land and it was brought to the land for Ruiru East Block 4,” Wahome said.
She observed from the Title Register that LR 172788 was subsequently allocated as LR No 5180/1, representing a piece of land located in Nayuki, within Nyeri District, Nyeri County.
“This means that we do not have any title going by the Number 172788. Ruiru East Blcok 4 is not available for conversion or issuance with any other title. It is a clear forgery,” she said.
The CS also observed that within the false property ownership document, there’s a supposed record suggesting a Sh12 million overdraft charged to Dubai Bank on December 11, 1997. This detail stands out considering that Dubai Bank only commenced operations in the Kenyan market in 2000.
“I also have a registrar by the name J.O Koech who allegedly signed the title deed, and I asked her whether she knows the signature on the document, and she has said the signature is a forgery and she is willing to give a statement,” she said.
The CS pointed out that the invaders, who have been invoking names of high-ranking government officials, must be kicked out of the land and tough legal measures be instituted against them.”
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“The land has been subdivided into quarter acres and three and a quarter acres, and those titles are within my registry here and are good titles. They are authentic titles. The people who are on that land other than the owners who have original and authentic title deeds, must vacate immediately,” Wahome said.
She added; “I have been told they are using names and dropping names. This has nothing to do with the government, we do not know about those titles and there’s no land available for grabbing in Ruiru.”
The CS also called for the withdrawal of police officers who have been guarding the fraudsters as they construct roads within the property, saying she has already written to Interior CS Prof Kithure Kindiki over the same.
“I will ask my colleague Kindiki to find out who is taking our police officers to do the wrong work. We are not doing any housing projects there and no government project’s being undertaken there. The officers may have been falling prey to some fraudsters. The DCI should hit the road running and bring the fraudsters to book,” she said.
King’ara praised the CS for addressing the concerns of the Gikumari residents, who had been anxious about eviction during the Christmas and New Year celebrations, causing them sleepless nights.
Residents, under the guidance of Jennifer Ng’ang’a, praised the government’s involvement, highlighting that numerous individuals, particularly the elderly, have endured hardship due to the ongoing situation.
They additionally demanded the dismissal of Deputy County Commissioner Margaret Mbugua from the area, accusing her of providing misleading information and supervising the intrusion of their property by swindlers.
CS: Ruiru land belongs to residents, grabbers attempting forgery