Anger and despair as more than 100 families evicted from their homes

More than 100 families have been left homeless, property worth millions of shillings destroyed, and hundreds of acres repossessed in Ndabibi, Naivasha.

At the centre of the dispute is the senior management of the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC), which has been accused of working with senior State officers to antagonise peasant farmers in the troubled area.

This came as it emerged that affected families had obtained a court order, but ADC management ignored it and continued with the eviction exercise. Naivasha MP Jane Kihara accused senior government officers of orchestrating the current crisis, which has left tens of farmers living as squatters in the area.

Speaking after visiting the affected farmers, Kihara said one of the main roads constructed through Kenya Rural Roads Authority funds had been cut off by those seeking to grab the land.

“Some of those affected have title deeds, but some ADC staff, with the backing of State officers, want to grab the land,” Kihara said.

Kihara termed the government’s action as impunity saying that efforts to seek intervention of senior ADC officers failed.

She vowed that despite the power wielded by those targeting the land, she would not rest until the peasant farmers who had lived on the land got justice.

“There is another cartel that is targeting Railway land in Naivasha town after tens of traders were evicted by the government a couple of years back,” she said.

One of the affected farmers, Godfrey Waweru said that he had all the legal documents proving ownership of the land after buying it from one of the farmers.

Waweru, a retired KDF officer said that he had lost property worth millions of shillings after his fence was brought down and property looted by hired youths.

“Those behind this illegal exercise are using NYS trucks to evict us yet we have title deeds and a court order stopping the exercise,” he said.

This was echoed by another victim Edwin Maina who said that the family bought the land over 17 years ago from ADC after following all the due process.

“We have sought legal redress but ADC which is claiming ownership of this land has never appeared but is using hired youths to vandalize our property,” he said.

Another victim, Obed Ngugi said that they were not issued with any eviction notice before their houses were brought down and farm equipment vandalised.