Loresho residents protest alleged grabbing of police post land

Residents of Loresho in Nairobi County now want the government to intervene against illegal land grabbing by unknown private developers.

In a meeting attended by Westlands Member of Parliament Tim Wanyonyi on Wednesday evening at the Loresho PCEA church, the residents alleged that about 3 acres of land belonging to the Loresho Police Post had already been occupied by the said grabbers.

The meeting was held following protests by the residents on Tuesday who stormed the Loresho Police Post after a perimeter wall was demolished by unknown people.

Speaking to Citizen TV, Paul Ndungu, a former chairman of the commission of inquiry into legal allocation of public land and a resident of Loresho North for over 40 years, said the court had approved their legality of owning the community land, but that they mysteriously lost the case after an appeal by unknown private developers.

"We had established that the commissioner of lands had actually allocated all the 6 acres for police use... but the thing about the court case that we instituted was that in as much as everybody in government whom you talk to said they will assist you... nothing was really ever done…it was for that reason that we felt we must go to court ourselves and try to stop the grabbing of the land," Ndungu said.

Area MP Wanyonyi, in solidarity with his constituents, affirmed to the residents that he will support them in whatever decision they make to ensure they save their space and allow room for them to exist in a conducive environment.

“I am here to stand with you so that we can work together to secure it and get the right documents,” Wanyonyi said.

The lawmaker urged the residents to wake up and secure what is theirs legally, also daring the unknown individuals to publicly present legal documents showing their ownership of the land.

“We are not against anybody doing development, but we do it in a planned way. I am ready to go and knock on any office to ensure we get this thing," said Wanyonyi.

He therefore urged the police to do their duty of protecting the public land and assure safety of residents in the area without protecting criminals.

The residents, in a statement seen by Citizen TV on Wednesday, said they had filed a petition to stop the grabbing of the community land in accordance with the Constitution.

“We, the residents of Loresho, hereby petition the relevant authorities to urgently intervene and halt the unlawful encroachment and grabbing of our community land located at the corner of Kaptagat Road and Loresho Ridge Road,” read part of the statement.

They’re now urging the government to take immediate action to stop the illegal grabbing of the community land, further calling for investigations to be conducted into the ownership and allocation of the said land to ensure justice and the protection of public interest.