Protests Erupt Outside Raila’s Karen Home
A group of residents from Ngong, Kajiado County protested outside the Karen home of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Friday morning, demanding his intervention over allegations of land grabbing.
The residents accused some senior government officials of allegedly participating in the grabbing of over 2000 acres of prime land in Kibiku, Ngong.
The protesters claimed that several senior government officials were at the centre of the grabbing of the property worth Ksh2 billion and that they grabbed the land with the help of Ministry of Land officials.
While camping outside Raila’s home, the protesters criticised Lands Principal Secretary Nixon Korir and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei for their reluctance to address the stalemate.
During the protests, they demanded the immediate resignation of PS Korir. Videos and images obtained by Kenyans.co.ke showed thelocals holding placards and twigsas they protested outside Odinga’s gate.
One of the placards read, ‘Korir Must Go!’ while another read, ‘Baba help us’ and ‘Justice of the Maasai Community.’
They also accused Kajiado West Member of Parliament George Sunkuyia of reportedly orchestrating the grabbing of the land, which they claim they rightfully inherited from their forefathers.
At the time of publishing, the ODM party leader had yet to address them.
The latest development comes just two days after Kajiado County GovernorJoseph Ole Lenku vowed to defend the land rights of the Maasai communities that own the parcel.
Addressing the residents on Wednesday, September 24, theGovernor called on the aggrieved locals to exercise calmsince the matter was still in court pending the determination of the matter.
“We have addressed the issue of the Kibiku land for a long period, and as you know, the matter is still in court, and the Court of Appeal ordered the surrender of the land’s title deed,” Ole Lenku noted.
Adding that, “I do not understand the source of your concerns, yet the title deed of the land is still in the Court of Appeal. As much as we are in the broad-based government, I do not think the government can grab your land,” he added.