Massive losses as
structures are demolished
Controversy over Portland Cement land rages
By Dennis Mwikya
Several houses have been demolished on the controversial East African Portland Cement Company land in Athi River in Machakos County.The houses and other structures were pulled down by bulldozers under the watch of a contingent of heavily armed police officers Thursday morning.
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| A Police officer walks in front of a house being demolished by a bulldozer on the controversial Portland Cement land in Athi River |
The officers drawn from several sub counties within Machakos reported at Athi River police station in hundreds before they proceeded to the land where they kept vigil as bulldozers roared as they knocked down the structures.
Grabbers have erected structures and houses on the land on each side of the road and the Kenya Power have installed electricity on them, signaling official recognition of the new ownership. But the demolishing party only targeted out one section of the illegal occupations and ignored the other- meaning that the demolitions may be part of the turf wars the powerful cartels are waging.
Athi River police boss Sharma Wario said the officers were not involved in pulling down the structures. Wario said the demolitions were conducted by East African Portland Cement Company officials who took advantage of heavy police presence on the land. “Our duty as police is to maintain peace and order. We want to ensure that peace prevails on that portion of land,” Wario told the press. He said there have been wrangles among some cartels who sell the same land to unsuspecting buyers.
“There are people who call themselves chairmen. They have encroached and allocated their fellows portions on the grabbed EAPCC land after selling out theirs leading to the conflict,” said Wario.
He said the land is owned by Portland Cement Company hence the cartels have nothing to sell. “They fleece unsuspecting members of the public”.Wario said the cartels belong to more than 14 self help groups
who have been illegally subdividing the land and selling it out.
“On February 22, 2016, some groups fought on the same land and one person was shot dead. One year later, same people fought on the same land and five people were killed. Two days ago, some of the cartels demolished structures belonging to others. This is why we are conducting the operations,” he said.
He said as county security team, they have decided to flash out all the groups from the land.
The cartels are each protected by sets of leaders and well connected officials within the police. Indeed, political leaders in Machakos including MPs are known to encourage the cartels to continue duping citizens into buying the land.
The grapevine has it that a prospective governor, a sitting governor, top DCI officials and others at National Police Service, Kenya Police headquarters and the National Land Commission top brass are among the owners of the well protected cartels and are chief beneficiaries of the loot arising from sale of the land.
