Kaya elders vow to fight for land

Kaya elders recently arrested for allegedly invading a private land in Utange have said they will continue to fight for their ancestral lands.

They said they will not be cowed by any threats and intimidation.

Police have, however, warned them not to disobey the law or invade and occupy private property.

Kaya Youth Committee chairman Nguma Charo Wednesday reiterated the elders' resolve to fight for the land that was allegedly grabbed was a peaceful one.

The elders were arrested last week as they agitated for the 135 acres registered under one Jonathan Kagiri. They claim the land is their ancestral entitlement.

On Tuesday, the National Land Commission said Mr Kagiri holds a 99-year lease for the land obtained in 1967.

"Kaya elders are known to be mediators and are peace makers. They are respectable members of the society and their arrest last week came as a shocker to us and the entire Mijikenda community but that does not mean we will pull out of fighting for our ancestral lands that we know have been grabbed," said Mr Charo.

He was speaking during a thanksgiving ceremony organised by the Kaya elders in respect of businessman Fahad Kassim, who came to the rescue of and bailed out the arrested elders.