Families count losses as court ruling triggers demolition of contested Marurui property

Ongoing demolitions in Marurui./SCREENGRAB

Police stand outside one of the properties in Marurui./HANDOUT

Dozens of families are counting losses after bulldozers moved in to demolish structures on a disputed piece of land in the Marurui area.

Property valued at millions of shillings was, from Monday, brought down by hired bulldozers as police stood guard, leaving many homeless.

Some of the structures were under construction.

Police said they were implementing court orders that allowed the owner of the land to take possession.

Ongoing demolitions in Marurui./SCREENGRAB

Nairobi Regional Police Commander Issa Mohamud said they had completed almost 80 per cent of the demolition.

He added that two politicians were arrested after allegedly attempting to incite those on the land to resist the repossession.

“They know there were orders that were issued. We were there to help the auctioneer do his work in the repossession of the land, and they have done almost 80 per cent of the work,” he said.

It emerged that one of the affected properties is linked to a long-running land dispute. Tension remained high in the area on Tuesday as the demolition continued.

At the centre of the demolition is Land Reference Number 28401, located in Roysambu Sub-County along the Northern Bypass off Kombu Road.

Langton Investments Limited maintains that it is the lawful and registered proprietor of the land and had, as early as March 2024, issued a public notice cautioning potential buyers against purchasing any portion of the property.

The company says it has never subdivided the land nor lost possession of its title deed.

According to court documents, an entity identified as Meron Limited allegedly attempted to irregularly subdivide the land, leading to the issuance of several contested titles under the Nairobi Block 219 series.

However, these titles were later revoked and cancelled by the Registrar of Titles in December 2023 through Gazette Notices No. 16350 and 16351.

Langton Investments subsequently filed a case at the Environment and Land Court, securing an injunction in November 2023 that barred any dealings on the land, including sale, transfer, or development, pending the hearing and determination of the suit.

The dispute also extended to a judicial review case filed in 2024 challenging the cancellation of the titles.

The matter has since been concluded, with the court ruling in favour of Langton Investments Limited and affirming its ownership of the land.

The ruling invalidated claims arising from the disputed subdivisions and paved the way for enforcement actions, including the demolition of structures authorities say were erected illegally.

The company had also lodged a complaint with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, triggering parallel investigations into alleged fraudulent transfers and subdivisions.