The grand plan for many Kenyans is to have a home they can call their own. However, the road to that home is littered with lots of uncertainties and fraud. We at, HOME AND AWAY, keep you on the sane side of property transactions
Last November, the country witnessed what may go down in history as the most savage house demolitions in Kenya. Over 5,000 residents in Syokimau in Mavoko saw their entire savings reduced to rubble as bulldozers mercilessly brought down their palatial homes worth millions of shillings.
The pain was too much for some to bear that they broke down as their dream houses were turned into bad nightmares.
Speaking to The Standard shortly after the demolitions, Mohammed Swaleh said his new home had cost him over Sh30 million to build and had planned to move in the same week of the demolition.
“This is my life’s saving. They have killed me,” Swaleh said.
At the centre of the demolitions was the all too familiar line during such operations — that the said homes were in a disputed piece of land.
The Government claimed the parcel of land has been earmarked for the expansion of the airport. The developers, on the other hand, claimed to have acquired the land through legal means, even tabling documents said to have been issued by the Lands office.
Never before had so many players been involved in a matter involving private homes. The saga would suck in not only the homeowners but also the Lands and Transport ministries, Kenya Airports Authority, City Council of Nairobi, Mavoko Municipal Council, lending institutions and real estate agents.
In the din of buck-passing that ensued, the jury is still out there as to who was most reprehensible. One thing though is certain — Kenyans continue to lose millions of shillings in land deals gone sour.
Take the case of Annette. In an effort to make some long-term investment, she bought some piece of land before leaving the country. She forgot to fence the property that unknown to her, was later sold off to another individual. She came back to find a house standing on her piece of land.
The vendor promised to allocate her another piece of land. This illustrates the casual manner in which some land transactions are handled. It is not uncommon to see a parcel of land being sold to multiple individuals.
Pundits’ take
