Kenyan land sale sparks controversy as homes are destroyed

A Kenyan company that is mostly owned by the government has faced backlash for wanting to sell some of its land. This land used to have homes where people lived for a long time, but these homes were destroyed.

Many expensive homes, churches, and a mosque were destroyed over the weekend because a court decided that East African Portland Cement (EAPC) is the rightful owner of the land.

The court said that EAPC can remove the people who had come to live in a portion of the 17. 40 square kilometers (4,300 acres) of land, which has been causing a legal argument for a long time.

The demolitions made many Kenyans very angry, especially the people who lived there. They felt it was very mean because they had spent a lot of money buying the land and building on it.

They said they were not sure why the EAPC did not talk to them instead of tearing down the buildings.

They mentioned that the destruction occurred before they had a chance to challenge the court’s decision. Some people accused President William Ruto of saying that residents would be forced to leave in order to make room for the growth of an industrial area.

EAPC let people know that they want to sell something by putting an announcement in newspapers on Tuesday. The regularisation model is used to refer to specific pieces of land.

It means that parties who are currently using the land will be given priority. They have been given 14 days to stake their claim. If they don’t, the plots will be sold to the public. The sale will be done by people who want to sell and people who want to buy.

The company has stated that the part of the land for sale is not the same as the area where buildings were destroyed.

However, people are asking why the buildings had to be destroyed. “Why did they let buildings get destroyed if this was their plan from the beginning. ” Adam Maina, a popular figure on social media in Kenya, questioned on X platform.

“This is what happens when dishonest people who are also not capable run the government,” stated Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna.
It is quite common for buildings that were constructed unlawfully on public land to be destroyed in Kenya. Sometimes people believe that they have political reasons behind their actions.