By Harrison Wanzallah
Over 300 residents of Embakasi have appealed to President William Ruto to intervene and help them recover 38 acres of their land. According to their lawyer, Thomas Letangule, the aggrieved residents were originally allocated 95 acres, which was later taken by Kenya Railways. While Ksh2.7 billion was paid as compensation, the residents claim they never received a single shilling.
The residents, who appeared before the Milimani Law Courts, are seeking urgent intervention to reclaim their land. The disputed land is located along the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and near Nairobi National Park.
They have also petitioned the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to launch investigations and prosecute individuals who allegedly misappropriated the compensation funds meant for them.
The community asserts that they have lived on the land for 30 years and were duly issued with title deeds. Their lawyer revealed that they had initially filed a petition in the High Court but were persuaded to withdraw it by the Principal Secretary for Lands, Nixon Korir, who assured them that he would facilitate the recovery of their land.
However, to date, no action has been taken. Letangule further alleged that a previous advocate handling the matter received Ksh2.7 billion in compensation but never disbursed the funds to the affected residents, who are predominantly from the Maasai community.
