Kirinyaga family left in the cold as houses destroyed

Peterson Maina,70, and his wife Mary Maina after people said to be auctioneers destroyed their home and crops at Kanyokora village in Kirinyaga West sub-county in a dispute over land. [Munene Kamau, Standard]

A family at Kanyokora village in Kirinyaga West is in shock after people said to be auctioneers descended on their home and destroyed everything.

Peterson Maina,70, said the raiders who were accompanied by armed police officers and hired goons destroyed five semi-permanent houses following a dispute over land.

They cut down macadamia and mango trees using power saws and felled bananas and other crops in the farms during the 8pm raid on Friday last week. 

In 2004, three people, Augustine Mwangi, Grace Wamutira and Murimi Ndonyo, moved to court seeking to kick Maina and his family from the five acres they said belongs to them.

However, Maina maintained the land belongs to him. He said he bought it in 1961.

And just before Christmas, the  Baricho Senior Principal Magistrate’s Court ruled in their favour and ordered Maina and his family to vacate the land. However, Maina says the orders were never served to him until December 27. last year.

Destroy property

He said he was shocked to see a huge number of people invade his home and destroy property even before an appeal he has filed before the Kerugoya Land and Environment Court is heard and determined.

His wife Mary Maina said the auctioneers roughed her up as officers from the nearby Baricho Police Station watched.

“The manner in which they evicted us was demeaning. Even convicted criminals get better treatment than what we were subjected to. The goons flashed me from bathroom half naked,” she said.

She claimed two of her children who tried to film the brutal eviction on their cell phones were also roughed up and chased away.

Efforts to get the claimants were not successful after it emerged they don’t live in the area.

Maina, who has been living on the land with 20 members of his family, said he had planned to move to court this morning for orders blocking the eviction pending determination of his appeal.