Nyayo Estate residents protest alleged land grabbing

Residents of Nyayo Estate, Embakasi in Nairobi protest over the alleged grabbing of community land on August 14, 2026. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Residents of Nyayo Estate in Embakasi have protested the grabbing of public land set aside for social amenities, accusing officials of the National Social Security Fund of colluding with individuals benefiting from the disputed parcels.

“We are protesting simply because we want to have spaces where our children can play and schools where our children can go and to hold this institution accountable,” stated a resident

Led by Nyayo Estate Residents Association (NERA) chairperson Wycliffe Omuya, the residents staged a peaceful protest walk through the estate on Friday by visiting several sites they say were originally reserved for public facilities.

 

One of the sites at the center of their protest is Plot 817, a six-acre parcel that residents say was designated for a public primary school.

Omuya said the land had since been subdivided, with residential and commercial construction taking place on the site, while there are plans to develop it by private individuals.

“Plot 817 is meant to be a public primary school; what you are seeing here is not a public primary school. This land has been subdivided, and construction is going on,” the NERA Chairperson stated.

The residents are calling on the Nairobi County Government to intervene and reclaim the land for public use.

They also appealed to Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and the area leaders led by their MP to visit the estate and assess the situation.

"We are shocked that our area MP, Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino, would go to Runda to fight for their lands but he cannot show face in our area. We want to know what kind of an MP he is," said Jane Gathogo, a resident.

According to the residents' association,  Nyayo Estate has about 30,000 residents but lacks a public primary school and a secondary school within the estate.

They claim that the nearby Embakasi Primary School was already overwhelmed by demand from the surrounding community.

The residents further alleged that other parcels reserved for public amenities, including land intended for a secondary school, had also been encroached.

They accused NSSF officials of facilitating the alleged grabbing, arguing that the fund as the developer of Nyayo Estate, should have protected the open spaces that remained after the estate was developed.

“The open spaces which remained, instead of them giving it back to the community, they are subdividing open spaces within Nyayo and selling it off,” association chair alleged.

The residents said they had previously raised the matter with NSSF, and they claim it indicated that Plot 817 belonged to the community.

They residence association questioned what had changed since 2024, when the land was public to now being developed by a private developer.

The association also says the dispute has reached court and that residents obtained a court order stopping construction on the land.

They also alleged that efforts to have the order enforced through Embakasi Police Station had not succeeded.

During the demonstration, while the residents were addressing the media in the estate outside the allegedly grabbed land, people who were at the site stated pelting stones towards the peaceful residents, which the residents termed as intimidation tactics.

The protesters have called for the restoration of the perimeter wall at Plot 817, an end to what they describe as illegal construction, provision of security at the site and prosecution of officials allegedly involved in the disputed land.

They are also demanding that the parcel be restored for construction of a public primary school and other social amenities.

Human rights defenders also expressed concerns on the shrinking community amenities and green parks in the country.

“We are increasingly observing public spaces shrinking meant for community schools, parks, running tracks and basketball courts where people especially kids to rest, play and to further thrive and we have to defend these spaces,” Geoffrey Mboya from Defenders Coalition.

The residents maintain that they want their green spaces maintained while cautioning the top senior government officials to clear their names on this land grabbing cases.