Machakos lands office in a spot over controversial access road

A contested newly created access road which was forcibly created by residents of Arusha Court to pass through Standard Sacco Court. The access road has caused a dispute between the two courts that are located in Mavoko sub-county near near Utawala. [James Wanzala, Standard] Residents of the Standard Media Group Sacco in Mavoko Sub-County have petitioned the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to investigate documents from the Machakos County lands office. They claim these documents have been used to fuel a dispute over a controversial access road, pitting them against their neighbors at Arusha Court. The residents, some of whom have lived in the gated community since 1997 when the Sacco bought the parcel of land, want the DCI to probe the authenticity of the documents which they suspect are fraudulent and forged. In a formal complaint addressed to the DCI's head office in Nairobi, the residents of Standard Court (Block 25) allege that questionable land records have been used to justify the creation of a "non-existent" access road through their gated community-an action they claim has caused anguish and unnecessary conflict. "The Machakos Lands Office has insisted on creating a public road through our private estate. Some officials appear to have vested interests, and their impartiality is now in question," added the residents in their letter signed on their behalf by chairperson Martin Mutua. At the heart of the dispute are two survey reports-one from 2017 and another from December 2024-which residents claim contain glaring inconsistencies. The 2017 report measured the disputed road as 4 meters wide. The 2024 report states the road is now 9 meters wide. Interestingly, the aggrieved residents say the earlier report was addressed only to Arusha Court residents, raising concerns that Standard Court was deliberately sidelined. They also do not understand where the report had been and how it has all of a sudden surfaced now. The residents have also challenged the second survey report claiming they were not involved when Machakos land officials reportedly conducted it in December. Since they were not invited to participate in the exercise, the residents accused the county officials of partiality. "We kindly, request that you seek to be furnished with the minutes and attendance register to allow verification to ensure there were no falsification of documents. We also seek that you request that you be furnished with the coordinates, mutation for both blocks and maps used by the Machakos County Surveyor to arrive at the decision," they added in their letter. The residents also believe the Machakos Lands office has acted with undue influence and heavy-handedness, creating a dispute between the two courts where none should exist. This situation they say, warrants an investigation. In 2017, a meeting convened at the Deputy County Commissioner's (DCC) office in Athi River dismissed the claim of a public road. An arbitrator later ruled that no such access road existed, prompting Arusha Court residents to use an alternative shortcut through Wema Court. However, after another bitter disagreement, Wema residents blocked the access road for the Arusha residents. It is then they reignited their push for a road through Standard Court. The Standard Court residents are now questioning the legitimacy of the documents and seeking an investigation into whether officials at the Machakos Lands Office manipulated records to justify the road's existence. "We request the DCI to obtain the minutes and attendance register from past meetings, verify survey coordinates, and review the maps used to justify the decision. The excessive impunity displayed by the Lands Office has created an unnecessary conflict between the two courts," the letter reads. The residents maintain that Arusha Court residents have two access roads leading to public roads which they have been using since they started living there and are now calling on authorities to intervene before tensions escalate further. The DCI has promised to issue a response in the next 14 days once they finalize their investigations.

Machakos lands office in a spot over controversial access road

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Machakos lands office in a spot over controversial access road

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