Athi River Deputy County Commissioner Otieno Odidi has vowed to crush land cartels operating in Mavoko, saying the government will not negotiate with criminals over stolen property.

Odidi said security agencies have mapped known cartels behind fake titles, illegal subdivisions and harassment of genuine land owners in Athi River and its environs.

He said cases of residents with valid title deeds being blocked from accessing their land while cartels parade fake documents are rampant in Mavoko, which has become synonymous with land tussles.

"We will not sit down with criminals to negotiate. If you have grabbed land using fake papers, your time is up. The law will catch up with you," Odidi said.

He spoke during the 63rd Mashujaa Day celebrations at St Augustine Secondary School in Mlolongo on Tuesday after reading President William Ruto's speech.

Several people have been arrested and charged with robbery with violence, theft, obtaining and murder, with the latest batch of four being charged at Mavoko Law Courts a fortnight ago.

The four are Daniel Kioko, Paul Ndunda, Benson Oketch and Nicholas Kiilu.

Kioko, Ndunda and Oketch are facing charges of malicious damage to property, while Kiilu has been charged with defilement.

The court declined to release them on cash bail. They were remanded at Athi River GK Prison in Kitengela and will be produced in court on November 4.

Odidi singled out Mlolongo's Mulinge Scheme and Ngelani quarries alongside Kinanie areas within Athi River Sub-county, where he said hooliganism, land grabbing, mugging, robbery with violence and injustice were rampant.

He said some individuals known for terrorising legitimate land owners had changed the name of what was registered as a self-help group to disguise themselves after security agencies suppressed their operations and arrested some members.

Independent sources revealed that the group was led by one Jimmy Mutava, who went missing on July 27, 2026.

"If you made a mess there, you leave the mess there. You come back with the name cleaners. What kind of cleaners are those there?" Odidi posed.

He said the group invaded land allocated to residents by former President Daniel Moi when General Jackson Mulinge was Lands minister, where each beneficiary got one acre under a group known as Ngwatanio.

"They went there and forcefully grabbed people's land and started selling it to people. The other day, they came and started beating people. I am not going to plead with anyone here. That group operating there as an office, dare return to that office from this hour. That office is gone," he said.

Odidi warned that the government cannot tolerate individuals who have no respect for other people's property and the law.

"There are people who want to create another country inside Kenya. Which Kenya is that? I will not accept. And some of their colleagues are in jail. We will ensure you eat beans in jail even for ten years," he said.

He told those occupying land in Mulinge Scheme and other areas in Athi River without legal ownership documents to vacate before they are forcibly evicted.

"Those who bought land and were given certificates. A person has no title deed. You go there and are issued a certificate. Those certificates are null and void. If you bought land in Mulinge Scheme, you are staying there pretending you have a certificate, please move out quickly. You will be evicted without mercy. The owners are there, they are coming. When they come, they are beaten, harassed, insulted. My friend, this is Kenya. Kenya has an elected government. Kenya has a government that protects its citizens," he said.

"Those of us who are here, we will not sit and watch anyone being harmed. For you people of Ngwatanio, I don't have anything to ask you. Surrender because we are coming for you. There will be no escape route. We will arrest and lock you in jail.

Here in Athi River is where a person comes from, grabs another person's land. When the owner goes there, he is asked what permit he has to walk in Mulinge Scheme.

You who are asking that are a land thief. You stole land and sold it to people and those you sold to are four or five. Then you walk around here claiming you are a landowner.

No group in this country has ever defeated the government. Others tried in Mt Elgon and we dealt with them. I was there. What you are doing here is small. We will deal with you accordingly. There is no playing here.

I have new OCPDs and DCI officers. Those who left, if they did their things, this team is new. We are going to clean the place of goons and those who move around with goons on motorbikes intimidating people, we will deal with them.

Don't pretend you are coming to me to negotiate, what are we negotiating? I can't negotiate over stolen property. If you come to my office, I will handcuff you and put you in the cells. I won't negotiate with any group that is illegal.

An illegality in any way cannot be sanitized. Others are there in Kinanie grabbing teachers' land," Odidi said.