An emerging trend where private land gets ‘grabbed’ through deliberate duplication of ownership documents should stop. The government should move into action to forestall further damage to our economy, and faith in property rights.
Records in courts and narratives in local dailies reveal that the trend started a while back, but may have scaled up, lately.
These remind us about the famous private land grab which involved multiple claims to some 134-acre prime land in Karen, Nairobi, which went public in 2014.
The saga was quite sensational and sucked in several MPs and senior public officers, who had allegedly benefitted from the purported ‘subdivision’ and ‘allocation’ of plots derived from the land.
The subsequent court case included several private and public entities, as the legitimate land owner fought back. Luckily, the purported beneficiaries stepped back before they could construct on ‘their’ plots. The court ruled on the matter early last year, throwing out all other claims, and asserted the rights of the original owner.
Fast forward to 2026. Last week saw Kenyans treated to high drama as huge expensive residential units within some disputed property in the Marurui neighbourhood of Nairobi were demolished. The scale of the demolitions was alarming.
It triggered demonstrations on the Northern bypass which led to the obstruction of traffic and interference with businesses around Marurui on the material day.
As the legitimate owner held onto the original ownership documents, someone else obtained a parallel set, and proceeded to subdivide and sell the resultant sub-plots. The buyers went on to construct their dream homes. The original owner sued.
After years of legal contests, the court restored the rights of the original owner, and ordered the eviction of other claimants. Regrettably, pricey houses had to be brought down.
More drama is playing out over the land that is home to ‘Paradise Lost’ off Kiambu Road. Reportedly, there are multiple claims to the land. Some entity has procured a title that seemingly overlaps another, and later to a ‘subdivision’. The resultant sub-plots are reportedly on sale.
But the matter has moved to court, with the original owners seeking to assert their ownership. It may run for years. But the lessons from the incidents above should inform. Buyers beware! Furthermore, the County Government of Kiambu should carefully consider whether to approve or suspend any development proposals presented against such contested land.
These few examples are perhaps indicative of a wider problem where private land rights are getting deliberately targeted for ‘grabbing’. The model involves irregularly creating a new layer of ownership rights to overlap the existing and legitimate one.
Where deliberate, this indicts the integrity and reliability of gatekeepers of state land records.
The government should urgently investigate, punish those involved, and close the gaps and weaknesses through which such irregularities are advanced.