Mavoko land ownership saga: CS Wahome says documents issued by Aimi ma Lukenya are all fake

The Ministry of Lands has set the record straight, maintaining that the disputed land in Mavoko legally belongs to the East African Portland Cement Company (EAPCC). 

Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome emphasized that ownership documents and historical records for the contested parcel of land are registered in the name of the company.

The CS, who recently, assumed leadership at the ministry, issued a stern warning to individuals engaging in deceptive land transactions using share certificates as bulldozers roar and structures continue to crumble in the contested 4,298-hectare parcel of land.

She affirmed that the Land Lr. No. 10424 is the property of the EAPCC, and thus, the squatters had occupied the land illegally. 

“The question of ownership has no doubt, any other person purporting to be on that land is there, unfortunately, at their own risk…the land belongs to EAPCC,” Wahome said.

“The title that was used to hoodwink Kenyans did not originate from this office, it’s a fake document that might have been printed in River Road…the ownership of the land from the documents that we have is not in dispute,” Lands Principal Secretary Nixon Korir added.

The Ministry of Lands also placed the responsibility on the Aimi Ma Lukenya farmers' association to compensate eviction victims should ongoing investigations conclude that the society engaged in fraudulent activities.

“The position we should take is that everyone would take responsibility…if Aimi ma Lukenya hoodwinked Kenyans, then they should compensate them,” PS Korir stated.

CS Wahome also fired a warning shot to individuals duping Kenyans to purchase land with a shares certificate.

She underscored that share certificates are not legally recognized documents to confirm land ownership.

“I wish to advise the public that there are people out there to defraud members of the public to buy lands using share certificates,” she said.

The ongoing evictions, now in their sixth day, have sparked public outrage regarding the manner in which they were executed.

However, the ministry has clarified that the responsibility for these actions lies with the property owners and law enforcement agencies, not the ministry itself. 

It also issued notices to parties currently occupying government-owned land, demanding their immediate vacation, as it vowed to take decisive action against land grabbers.

The Ministry of Lands acknowledged the existence of vulnerabilities, especially where government officials collaborate with cartels to encroach upon public land.

That admission however helps none of the victims if they do not get their money back, and the question of where the government has been when all this happened, remains unanswered.