Juja MP Francis Munyua Waititu led residents of Gachororo estate to reclaim public land which had allegedly been grabbed. While chanting slogans and waving twigs, the angry residents uprooted beacons and a fence which had been erected round the piece of land measuring 32 acres.
The locals said they could not seat and watch as the land which was meant for the construction of a market and other public utilities is grabbed by people they termed as greedy.
“We are giving notice to land grabbers the area who have been preying on public land that they will not succeed in their mission. The grabbing of this land will only happen over our dead bodies,” said Peter Kariuki a resident. It is said the alleged grabbers were planning to put up commercial buildings on the prime piece of land which is just a few meters from Thika-Nairobi super highway.
Mr Waititu later led an exercise of temporarily settling traders and mechanics on the piece of land as they await the construction of a permanent modern market and other amenities. He said there are many parcels of public land in the entire constituency that do not have title deeds which had made them prone to grabbing.
“We are currently profiling all the public land in entire constituency with a view of ensuring that they all have title deeds. All public land in the area must be protected at all cost,” said Mr Waititu. The MP said the land where Juja police station is currently located was at the hands of private hands a thing he said they were seeking to have solved. “Those government institution charged with the mandate of issuing title deeds should expedite the process of issuing the important document to all public land in order to keep off grabbers,” he said.
MP Waititu leads residents in reclaiming grabbed public land: Juja MP Francis Munyua Waititu led residents of Gachororo estate to reclaim public land which had allegedly been grabbed. https://t.co/nAa7oA73Dr
— Breaking News (@News_Kenya) October 8, 2018