Mbotela charcoal traders face eviction from disputed land

Mbotela Charcoal dealers Self Help Group is facing eviction by a private developer from Mbotela estate, Nairobi. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Charcoal dealers in Mbotela estate, Nairobi, have expressed fears of eviction from a parcel of land they have operated from for close to 60 years.

A private developer, who claims ownership of the land, wants the 14 traders kicked out of the disputed parcel that was surrendered to them by the then Nairobi City Council. Since the 1960s the traders, some who have since died, occupied the land until October 11, 2002 when the Town Clerk gave consent for formalisation and allocation for space for their charcoal business.

Records show the land was sub-divided and each of the traders operating under the Mbotela Charcoal Dealers Self Help Group, issued with an allotment letter on November 28, 2002.

Years later, the traders were shocked when Kimemia Engineering Construction Company claimed the same property. The matter ended in court, with Judge Aggrey Muchelule ruling in favour of the Construction company.

The traders led by Samuel Maina Theuri, Lucia Wangare Chege, Virginia Nduta and Joseph Ngunjiri Kamau now want President William Ruto to intervene and save them from being evicted claiming the court erred after being misled. They say they lack the wherewithal to appeal against the ruling having exhausted almost all resources trying to keep off the construction firm.

They claim the firm's land registration number refers to a totally different parcel. They contend that their parcel is registered as number 209/4844/124 and not number 209/4844/159/R that belongs to Kimemia.