Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has raised alarm over what he terms as a resurgence of illegal land grabbing and forced evictions in the city.
Sonko claims he responded to a distress call on Valentine’s Day from an Asian woman whose home in Highridge, Parklands, was being demolished by an auctioneer backed by hired youths. The woman, who has lived in the property since childhood, reportedly possesses all legal ownership documents, including title deeds, and has consistently paid government taxes.
According to Sonko, the eviction was orchestrated by a group of known land grabbers, who allegedly colluded with the woman’s cousin to fraudulently sell the property using forged documents.
“We had brought this nonsense of illegal eviction, land grabbing, and demolition of properties in Nairobi to an end, but now it seems land grabbers are back in a very big way,” Sonko stated.
He has called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss Mohamed Amin, Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome, and Principal Secretary Nixon Korir to intervene swiftly and protect property owners, regardless of their social status.
The incident has reignited concerns over fraudulent land transactions and forced evictions in Nairobi, an issue that has plagued the city for years. Authorities are yet to respond to Sonko’s appeal.
