Over 700 Cheteni-Debwe families who were forcefully evicted four years ago from their alleged disputed 1,000-acre ancestral land in Tiwi, Kwale County, have vowed to reclaim their land and are demanding compensation for the losses incurred.
The affected residents condemned the demolitions as a grave injustice, insisting that their land had been illegally taken from them.
Led by their chairman, Juma Abdalla Amri, the families lamented that since the evictions, their lives have been unbearable, forcing them to live as squatters under dire conditions.
“We have endured enough suffering and cannot take it anymore. We are taking our land, and all security agencies should take note,” he said.
Amri further said that since the demolitions, the private developer has done nothing productive on the land.
The chair said instead the business person has worsened their suffering by cutting down precious fruit trees that had been planted by them and their ancestors for generations.
Amri decried the worsening poverty among the affected families, even as their ancestral land continues to be destroyed.
He said that the suffering has pushed them to take action, vowing that they will return to their land and will not be intimidated by anyone.
“Before the demolitions, we lived peacefully, growing our own food and sustaining our families. But that tragic incident turned our lives upside down, leaving us in despair,” he said.
Amri added that he still struggles to believe how their homes and future investments were reduced to rubble within minutes, shattering their dreams.
He said Cheteni-Debwe residents can no longer tolerate the injustices and that they deserve respect and dignity, just like any other Kenyans.
Amri urged President William Ruto to intervene and fulfill his campaign pledge to end land injustices in the country.
“President Ruto came here and assured us that the issue of squatters would be resolved. We are now asking him to keep that promise,” he said.
Hamisi Fadhili Makarani, one of the affected residents, lamented the loss of his 4.5-acre farm, which used to generate Ksh 120,000 each harvesting season from mango sales.
He said that beyond losing his home, his entire livelihood was disrupted, leaving him struggling to make ends meet.
“It would only be fair if we were given back our land and compensated for what we have lost,” said Makarani.
He described the demolitions as a major setback, adding that no Kenyan should ever have to endure such an ordeal again.
Anna Muthoka expressed deep concern over the devastating impact of the land dispute, stating that many affected residents have died due to health complications caused by the stress and trauma of eviction.
She noted that elderly individuals, in particular, have succumbed to high blood pressure after witnessing their ancestral land being taken away and losing everything they had built over generations.
Muthoka said most of the locals depended entirely on the disputed land for their livelihood and since the evictions, they have been left homeless and without a future.
Muthoka criticized the injustice of a single individual claiming ownership of vast acres of land while thousands of indigenous people are left homeless.
“It is unfair for one person to take over such a huge piece of land while generations of local families are left to suffer with no place to call home,” she said.
Mwanarusi Mbeto urged security agencies not to be misused to inflict pain on innocent and harmless citizens.
She recalled that during the demolitions, a contingent of police officers stood guard as bulldozers mercilessly destroyed their homes.
Mbeto further condemned the demolitions as illegal, noting that they were carried out in the dead of night, contrary to legal procedures.
