Portland Cement land idle two years after Athi River evictions

Francisca Mweni during an interview with the Standard. [Peterson Githaiga, Standard]

The government has left the controversial East Africa Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) land undeveloped two years after forcefully evicting thousands of residents from the 4,298-acre property along Mombasa Road in Machakos County.

A spot-check by the Standard reveals herders now graze animals on the idle land, which was valued at approximately Sh15 million per acre during the 2023 demolitions.

The evictions followed a October 9, 2023, court ruling by Justice Annet Nyukuri that declared EAPCC the legal owner of the property after a 10-year legal battle with Aimi Ma Lukenya Society.

The case, suit No. 74 of 2014, was filed at the Machakos Environment and Land Court.

Government bulldozers razed dozens of homes, schools and churches during the evictions, leaving more than 200 property owners displaced.

The land, situated south of Athi River Township, has been contested for years between individuals claiming ownership and local community members identifying as squatters.

President William Ruto ordered the evictions during a tour of the Export Processing Zone (EPZ), announcing plans to purchase 1,000 to 1,500 acres from the government-majority-owned Portland Cement to expand the facility.

"I have given clear instructions to the management here that all speculators, people who have held titles to pieces of land for 10 to 30 years without developing them be revoked so that we can give it to people who want to use this facility," said Ruto.

Ruto also directed the Lands Ministry to revoke titles for undeveloped Athi River land held for over 10 years.

However, no construction or development has occurred on the land since the president's directive. By June 2024, the State Department for Investment and Industry was lobbying to acquire 1,000 hectares for EPZ expansion, but the plans have not materialised.

Recent developments indicate part of the land is now designated for a wildlife corridor from Nairobi National Park to Kapiti Plains.

 In January 2025, new land disputes emerged with portions transferred to the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) as debt settlement.

The Lands Ministry and EAPCC management did not respond to requests for comment on why the land remains undeveloped despite the president's directive.

The demolitions left property owners with bank loans and no homes.

Francisca Mbithe, a single mother living in a one-room metal structure in Mlolongo, says she lost three plots and a house worth more than Sh3.6 million.

"I had bought three plots, I constructed a house in one of them so that I could stop renting, the more than Sh3.6 million I spent was part of my savings, includinga loan I borrowed from a friend," said Mbithe.

Mbithe says she now suffers from depression and cannot pay school fees for her daughter.

She lost all building materials to theft after the demolition and now sells vegetables to survive.

"I lost everything, even all the building materials that I had used were all stolen after the demolition. I now depend on my small business of selling vegetables," noted Mbithe.

She wants to meet Ruto to seek government compensation for her losses.