Kinyoo families cry foul over 74-acre land grab

An aerial view of Emali Township in Makueni County.

For more than five decades, families from Kinyoo, Emali township, Makueni, say a land that once sustained them through farming has been turned into a contested battleground.

They claim they have watched from the sidelines as powerful individuals allegedly carved up their ancestral land, leaving a trail of poverty and displacement in their wake.

The families are now appealing to both the national and county governments to intervene in a long-standing dispute over the more than 74-acre land.

In recent weeks, they have been visiting the office of Nzaui Deputy County Commissioner Solomon Mpapale seeking answers. They claim they were systematically removed from official records during a recent land survey and issuance of title deeds.

“We were invisible,” said spokesperson Nzuki Mueke. “Influential people hijacked the process. Our parents died in poverty and our children missed school because the land that should have supported their education was taken by force.”

The affected residents say they are the rightful owners of more than 30 hectares of land, but have endured decades of suffering, displacement, and failed attempts to reclaim what they insist is legally theirs.

“During the survey in Kinyoo, we were completely left out despite making several attempts to be included. Influential individuals interfered with the process, and we were denied justice,” he said.

Mueke added that the exclusion has had devastating consequences for families, pushing many into poverty and denying children access to education opportunities.

Another resident, James Maundu, said the disputed land was not only a source of livelihood but also a family heritage passed down through generations.

He alleged that attempts to secure legal ownership through county-led survey processes were frustrated by underhand dealings.

“We joined others during the survey so we could be issued with title deeds, but some people used backdoor channels and ended up acquiring ownership documents at our expense,” he claimed.

For Cleophas Muia, the dispute dates back to as early as 1963. He recounted how a powerful individual allegedly occupied their land and later promised alternative settlement that never materialised.

The families say they existed even before the construction of the Mombasa–Nairobi highway.

They allege the road now cuts through their ancestral land, which was never compensated and that they later lost the remaining prime portions to alleged cartels.

Nungwa Muia, 100, paints a grim picture of continued harassment since the 1980s, claiming families are routinely threatened and forcibly evicted whenever they attempt to access or use the land.

“We were often chased away at night, and when we returned, we found structures already built. Cartels hire people to intimidate us. When the survey was done, we were deliberately excluded due to the influence of these powerful individuals,” he said.

The families want an immediate freeze on all developments in Kinyoo, a fresh and transparent survey led by neutral officials, and investigations into alleged “backdoor” title deeds issued to non-residents and cartels that have since established multi-billion-shilling businesses in the area, including banks, a mosque, supermarkets and luxury hotels.