A mission to evict a family, leaves one dead

Neighbours to familiy of Margaret Waithera helping salvage household goods after a gang attempted to evict her family following a land row. [Boniface Gikandi/Standard]

A man was killed by villagers who attacked a gang hired to evict a family in Kandara constituency on Monday.

Two women were also injured by the angry Kagumo-ini village residents during the early morning incident.

According to the villagers, the gang had been ferried to the home to evict the family of Clement Mbugua, who died three weeks ago.

Before his death, Mr Mbugua and his younger brother, John Ngugi, had been feuding over one acre for two years.

Mr Ngugi claims he inherited the land from his late father, Julius Kibuthu.

Mbugua's house has been demolished twice in skirmishes triggered by the dispute. His body is lying at the Gaichanjiru Mission Hospital mortuary and Ngugi says he should be buried in Mutoho and not Kagumo-ini.

When the gang struck on Monday morning, Mbugua's widow, Margaret Nyaguthie and her five children raised the alarm, attracting neighbours, who killed one of the raiders in a confrontation.

Angry residents

Ngugi's two sisters - Jane Njeri and Felista Waithera - who had joined him at the scene of the raid, were also attacked by the angry residents.

They suffered deep cuts and were taken to the nearby Gaichanjiru Mission Hospital. Ngugi and his other sister, Margaret Waithira, escaped unhurt.

The attack happened as Mbugua’s family was preparing to file a case in court over the land dispute.

Two years ago, there was an attempt to evict Mbugua but neighbours roughed up the gang.

The residents blamed officers at Kabati Police Station for allegedly failing to protect the family.

They accused the police of taking sides in the dispute, leaving it up to the neighbours to protect the family.

Kandara OCPD Wilson Kosgey said the matter was under investigation.

County Commissioner John Elungata said action would be taken against those who failed to respond to the family's cry.

“The family has been fighting over the piece of land. The aggression was meant to block Mbugua's burial on the land. Most members of the family wanted to move Mbugua's family to Mutoho,” said Mr Elungata.