By Collins Wanzallah
A family in Busia is pleading for justice after a relative allegedly invaded part of their land and caused destruction amounting to Ksh 1.2 million. The case, reported at Mauko Police Station in Busia County between 2021 and 2024, details the damage to various properties, including two motorcycles, solar panels, a water tank, and iron sheets.
The complaint was filed by 89-year-old Obondi Owoko, who claims his paternal nephew, Patrick Bukaki, forcibly entered his land after selling off most of his own three-acre property. According to Owoko, Bukaki has been emboldened by the alleged protection of a high-ranking government official from the area, to whom Bukaki sold a portion of his land.
Owoko further alleged that his nephew boasts about receiving protection from a county commissioner based in Meru, whose father, Bukaki claims, is shielding him. The elderly man recounted that on the day of the destruction, Bukaki arrived with a group of friends and hired thugs, who not only attacked him with a machete, leaving him with head injuries but also damaged property.
“Bukaki brags that the law cannot touch him,” Owoko lamented, appealing for protection from authorities. He expressed fear for his safety due to continued harassment and threats from his nephew.
Owoko also complained that just two weeks ago, Bukaki’s children allegedly trespassed onto his property, set his cows loose, and drove them to Bukaki’s land, where they consumed part of a maize crop. Bukaki’s family then went to the local police station, demanding Ksh10,000 in compensation for the maize the cows had eaten.
Owoko has since called on the Busia County police boss to intervene, stating that he now fears for his life given the escalating threats from his nephew.
