Kenyatta University students threaten to evict squatters

A row over 130 acres pitting Kenyatta University and a group of squatters intensified over the weekend, with both sides taking a hard-line stance.

Kenyatta University Vice Chancellor Olive Mugenda said the squatters would have to leave to pave the way for construction of a Sh3 billion children’s hospital and 10,000-student capacity hostels.

Speaking at the university’s main campus over the weekend, Prof Mugenda said the stalemate had delayed construction of the two multi-billion shilling projects.

She said the university had been trying to remove the people from their land for the last 20 years without success due to court cases.

“This is the university’s land. We have a title deed to that effect. Many of the people currently on our land have forged documents of ownership,” she said.

The Kenyatta University Students Association (Kusa) also waded into the matter, giving the squatters seven days to vacate the land or face forceful eviction by the students.

“As students of KU, we shall not just sit and watch as people who have grabbed the university’s land refuse to move in order to make way for the development projects.

“We shall forcefully evict them once the seven-day notice expires,” said Kusa President George Thuku.

The land occupants, who held a demonstration on Saturday, however dismissed Mugenda’s assertions, saying they had documents to prove ownership.

Still defiant

Led by their chairman Francis Ng’ang’a, they vowed to stay put, saying their presence there was legal.

“We shall not leave. We were given this land through a presidential decree by the first President.

“In fact, it was a former Nairobi Provincial Commissioner who supervised demarcation of the land and we were subsequently given documents of ownership,” Mr Ng’ang’a said.

Two weeks ago, National Land Commission (NLC) chairman Muhammad Swazuri gave the current occupants one month to vacate the disputed piece of land.

Mr Swazuri said investigations had led the commission to conclude that the university was the rightful owner.

He added that the law says it is illegal to occupy public or private land without permission.

Very clear

“The Land Act is very clear. Anybody who occupies or prevents construction of a public utility on public land commits an offence and is liable to face a jail term,” he said.

The chairman told those in contention to produce documents of ownership to NLC so it could authenticate them and determine whether they were genuine or forged.

He said the only people who should continue living on the land are 672 squatters who the university willingly allocated 30 acres.