Maragua MP Mary Waithera and Lands CS Alice Wahome presents Sh5m donated by President William Ruto to Gachagi squatters on May 8, 2026 /ALICE WAITHERAPresident William Ruto has donated Sh5 million to families squatting on Kakuzi land in Makuyu to support construction of homes amid resettlement pressure.
The money was presented on Saturday by Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome who was accompanied by Maragua MP Mary Waithera, nominated MP Sabina Chege, nominated Senator Veronica Maina and Murang’a Woman RepresentativeBetty Maina.
The donation comes weeks after Deputy President Kithure Kindiki gave Sh2 million to start the construction of houses for the 25 squatter families living on the company’s vast land in Maragua constituency.
Waithera said Kindiki was moved by the plight of the families when she raised the matter during an empowerment programme in the constituency.
“We sat down with the committee and the fundis, did the calculations and came up with 25 houses, all of them identical and of the same design,” she said.
The MP also linked the resettlement issue to the long-running land dispute between local communities and Kakuzi, saying the government must ensure communities benefit from land that is not fully utilised by investors.
Her remarks came amid renewed debate over a recent court ruling compelling Kakuzi to surrender 3,200 acres to communities that claimed historical land injustices dating back to the colonial era.
Wahome said the government would facilitate the surveying and issuance of title deeds once the company complies with court directives requiring the surrender of the land.
“We are asking the company to obey the court order. The ministry will undertake the cost of titling and survey,” she said.
The Lands CS said while the government supports investors, companies must coexist peacefully with host communities and address longstanding grievances surrounding land ownership and resettlement.
Residents of Makuyu at Gachagi village during the presentation of Sh5m donated by President William Ruto on May 10, 2026 /ALICE WAITHERAShe said her ministry would hold talks with the company’s management to seek an amicable resolution to the disputes that have pitted residents against the multinational firm for decades.
“We support them as investors but let them do Gachagi people justice and give the land.”
Last month, the Environment and Land Court in Murang’a dismissed an application by Kakuzi seeking to stop the implementation of recommendations by the National Land Commission requiring the company to surrender 3,200 acres.
In the ruling delivered by Justice Maxwell Gicheru, the court declined to grant the company leave to institute judicial review proceedings and rejected attempts to suspend the implementation of the NLC recommendations contained in a Gazette Notice published on November 14 last year.
Kakuzi had argued that the commission acted beyond its constitutional mandate, violated its property rights and failed to consider the economic implications of surrendering the land, saying it had invested about Sh11 billion in the property.
However, the court ruled that the NLC acted within its mandate under Section 15 of the National Land Commission Act, which empowers it to investigate historical land injustices and recommend remedies including restitution and resettlement.
Justice Gicheru further found that Kakuzi had been accorded a fair hearing during the proceedings and failed to demonstrate any illegality or procedural unfairness that would justify the court’s intervention.
The ruling effectively paved the way for implementation of the NLC recommendations and renewed hope among dozens of families that have occupied sections of Kakuzi land for years awaiting resettlement.
Gachagi residents association chairperson Michael Mburi said the 25 remaining families lived in cramped conditions with inadequate sanitation facilities and little space for farming.
“The toilets and bathrooms are uncovered and are walled using sacks but the company keeps sending in drones, making it uncomfortable to use them,” Mburisaid.
Mburi added that the company had decades ago promised to resettle workers who had spent years labouring in its farms, with many families in neighbouring villages already receiving land allocations.
But he said 25 families remained stranded at Gachagi despite 35 acres allegedly being set aside for their resettlement.
“They have been taking us in circles. Most of the original workers died while waiting to be resettled and now their children are still living in the same camp,” he said.
