85 grannies finally granted 240-acre land

By MURIMI MWANGI

Nyeri, Kenya: A Nyeri court has declared 85 elderly people as the legitimate owners of 240-acre land that had been in contention.

The 85 represent a generation of about 2,000 people occupying the land located along the Nyeri-Nanyuki border.

The occupants were almost evicted from the land in 2010, following a High Court ruling that declared them squatters.

Yesterday’s verdict delivered by the appellate court in Nyeri overturned the 2010 ruling issued by the Meru High Court, where the occupants were ordered to vacate the land.

The 30-year-old dispute pitted the 85 elders against a man whom they accused of selling them the land and later reneging on an agreement to transfer it to them.

Davidson Mwangi is said to have sold the land divided into 240 one-acre pieces to the 85 farmers between 1983 and 1990.

The farmers said they bought an acre at Sh5, 000.