President William Ruto is now being called upon to intervene in a Sh210 million settlement dispute involving 35 families squatting on the largely British-owned Kakuzi Plantation in Murang’a County.
Maragua MP Mary wa Maua says she wants to see the value of her April 2025 decision to support President Ruto’s re-election bid in Mt Kenya ahead of the 2027 polls.
“I recently decamped from Rigathi Gachagua’s anti-Ruto faction to support the President. He should now come through for us and help these 35 squatters get justice,” she said on June 6, 2025.
Maragua MP Mary Wa Maua.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
The MP's invocation of the president's name highlights the high stakes involved, amid rumours that a powerful cartel is attempting to hijack the programme in which Kakuzi is to cede 35 acres for the settlement.
The dispute surfaced in 2008 after years of negotiations, when a committee was formed to have Kakuzi allocate an acre each to the 35 families, now known as the Gachagi squatters. The families are descendants of Kakuzi's pioneer workers, who had been living in villages within the plantation.
Kakuzi began operations in Murang’a in 1928 and is controlled by British firm Camellia PLC, which owns more than half its shares. The majority of the remaining shares are held by John Kibunga Kimani.
“By 1963, when Kenya gained independence and locals began settling, some descendants of the pioneer workers remained stuck within the plantation,” Ms Maua noted.
Demands for Kakuzi to cede part of its more than 32,000 acres for settlement have persisted since then.
“The issue has remained a hot potato because of the huge interest in land. But the case of these 35 families, still living in deplorable conditions in Gachagi village, exemplifies a colonial legacy that never ended,” she said.
According to Gachagi Squatters Settlement Committee chair Ndeto Wamburi, they have been “denied the right to build toilets and bathrooms in the village.” He said Kakuzi has settled only 10 of the 35 claimants, leaving 25 in a “clear case of divide and rule.”The families live in shanties and cannot even bury their dead within the village.
“Kakuzi patrols the area with guards and drones to ensure we do not construct hygienic facilities,” Wamburi added.
Human rights organizations have raised concerns about the squatters’ treatment, calling for restorative and reparative justice, a public apology, and guarantees against future violations.
On August 16, 2024, Murang’a Squatters Human Rights Watchdog secretary Cecilia Gitu said the use of drones in Gachagi—where people bathe in the open and relieve themselves in nearby bushes—constitutes dehumanisation.
In a quick rejoinder, Kakuzi's head of corporate affairs, Simon Odhiambo, said the firm has “never promised to gift any of our land to Gachagi residents.”
He explained that a mutually agreed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) allows specific community members to occupy a 10-acre portion of the land in exchange for an annual fee and adherence to conditions.
"The MoU permits specific community members who are parties to the agreement to occupy a portion of our land, measuring 10 acres, in consideration of an annual fee and adherence to outlined conditions," said Mr Odhiambo.
He explained that those settled are Kakuzi tenants under the MoU, and dismissed the claims of the remaining 25 squatters.
He defended the use of drones, saying they are standard security tools to mitigate risks such as employee attacks, produce theft, and vandalism.
"These systems are operated by licensed security teams within the confines of our orchards and farm areas, which are prone to security risks, including attacks on employees, theft of farm produce and vandalism. The technology-based security systems enable us to mitigate these risks," he said.
A road that passes next to Kakuzi tree plantation in Makuyu, Muranga County.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
However, a MoU signed by Kakuzi and the squatters on May 11, 2010, stipulates that 35 acres—referred to as “annex of L.R. NO 11674”—would be allocated to the squatters.
The document, prepared by Kaplan & Stratton Advocates, shows the land had already been surveyed and beaconed.
