By The Anchor Reporter
The Machakos County Assembly has adopted a decisive report that classifies the Judiciary and County Fire Department as irregular occupants of prime public land earmarked for the Assembly’s own use — setting the stage for their potential eviction.
The report was tabled by Daniel Ndwiki, who chairs the Committee on Lands and Energy.
It outlines how the Judiciary and Fire Department took over the land without any formal allocation, lease, or documentation, despite its earlier reservation by the defunct Municipal Council of Machakos in 2004 for the County Assembly’s permanent premises.
According to Ndwiki, the Assembly’s inquiry established that no legal framework existed to support the continued occupation of the land by these entities.
The committee produced minutes of the former municipal council and land survey maps, showing that the site — situated along the Syokimau Avenue and next to the Labour offices — had been specifically set aside for the Assembly complex.
“We have clear evidence that this land belongs to the County Assembly. The Judiciary is in illegal occupation,” Ndwiki said, calling on the House to support measures that would reclaim the site.
The Assembly unanimously adopted the report, endorsing its recommendation that the County Assembly proceed with the development of its modern complex. Funds for technical designs have already been approved in the current budget cycle.
The report warns of continued executive interference and institutional encroachment on the Assembly’s constitutional mandate. It blames past administrations for allowing the Judiciary and other actors to settle on the site without transparency or public participation.
“Public land must be respected. This is not just a land dispute — it is about the dignity of the Assembly and the rule of law,” Ndwiki declared on the floor of the House.
The decision follows weeks of mounting pressure from Assembly members who argue that the county’s legislature must operate from its own premises, free from dependence on the Executive or Judiciary.
However, the move is likely to provoke a response from the Judiciary, whose small claims court stand defiantly on the contested land. Legal experts warn of a possible confrontation between the two arms of government, especially if eviction notices are issued without an agreed framework.
