Over 20 Homes Face Demolition After Kiambu Gov. Maintains Their Stand On Public Land.

The County Government of Kiambu has stood their grounds that the disputed 6-Acre parcel belonging to Gatundu/Gatuanyaga Dairy Company Limited (BLOCK 21 - formerly LR. 7240/I) stand on public utility and will do everything possible to reclaim it and revert it to its intended purpose.

Kiambu Planning & Physical Development Chief Officer David K. Gatimu, responding to media reports on the dispute, maintained that the documents at their (Kiambu) disposal dating back to 1991 showed clearly that the 6-Acres had been allocated for public use.

He said that the county will not allow private ownership to utilities meant for the public, adding that they had no choice but to revert that land to its original use. He further stressed that the documents these people were presenting as proof of ownership were not genuine since they

were fraudulently acquired.

“We want to know where they got these documents. All the documents they are presenting as evidence to the ownership of that land are forged. All those who bought plots in that parcel were duped into buying public land as there is no such land,” said Gatimu.

“This is not county land. It is public land. We shall go to any level to ensure that it is reverted back to the public even if it demands pulling down these houses,” he added.

He added that in 1991, Gatundu/Gatuanyaga Dairy Company Limited demarcated 675 residential plots and left this area for public use, which included spaces for schools, health centres, car parks and even 12 open playgrounds for the residents. Some of the plots these people have developed, he said, are sitting on the sewer line.

He said that the map they were using was fraudulent and the county government was investigating how they obtained it since it did not bear the requisite approval features. Thus, he said, all their title-deeds in their possession were null, void and fake.

“If the map is not in our records it is therefore not valid. I would like to put on notice, anyone sitting on public land that the stand of the County Government of Kiambu is that it must be reclaimed and used for its intended purpose. All those buildings have no approvals from us and we will not allow anyone to continue building them without permission. The owners should stop forthwith or else we will demolish these houses without notice and at the owners’ cost,” he said.

Chief Officer for Public Service & Administration Mr. Dominic Gacheru confirmed Gatimu’s sentiments by stressing that since they assumed office in 2013, Kiambu Government has been following up on the issue of grabbed land and would not relent until all grabbed land within the county was recovered.

He warned politicians against getting entangled by playing politics of expediency whenever the issue of repossession of public utilities.

He requested the members of public to expose all those people who were holding public land and support the county in recovering land belonging to the people.

“If we as a people fail to do so, we will face a very challenging future since Kiambu is growing at a very fast rate. Our town will therefore miss spaces to put up essential facilities like schools, hospitals, sewers and so on,” he concluded.