Kwale, KENYA: More than ten families in Mililani Village, Msambweni in Kwale County on Thursday spent the night in the cold, after their houses were allegedly demolished by police officers.
This is said to have happened after a private developer who claims to own the settlement scheme land allegedly directed police to do the mass destruction.
One of the residents Salim chilungu said they were allocated the land back 1977 but the developer has visited the area three times setting the houses on fire.
“Last year they just came from nowhere and torched our four houses. It really pains me that as it happens no leader has come forward to fight for us,” he said.
Chilungu explained that few years ago when they went to search for their title deeds they were told to wait a little bit but later on found out that the land was bearing other peoples’ names.
Saumu Mwasanzuwa could not control her emotions as she explained what transpired during the incident
“They came here and broke our house, burnt it and went ahead to cut all the trees in the farm,” she said with tears rolling down her cheeks.
She added that during the incident she also lost clothes and school uniforms belonging to her children.
“I have stayed here for around fifty years cultivating this land. I hear that she has bought this plot but she would have just approached us in a good way,” she added.
Saumu noted that although the incident has happened severally, this one was most severe as they have also lost their domestic animals.
“Last year they came and did the same. Right now the damage has been bad. My cows, chicken and eggs have also gone” she said.
Kwale OCPD Partick Oduma confirmed to Baraka FM that the shamba had a case since 2012 and by October 2015 the businessman won the case at the Kwale court.
He said the residents ignored following a command of parting the place and they even tortured police last year.
This lead to the area OCS implementing the court order where the work of the police was only to provide security unlike burning the place as it was earlier said.
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