More than two years after President William Ruto ordered that the 1,000 squatters living on Muthanga Farm in Maragua be either issued with title deeds or resettled, the long-running dispute remains unresolved.
The families continue to wait in uncertainty, with no official communication from the government, even as fears of eviction persist. The contested land is officially registered as Makuyu/Kambiti/BLOCK 1/1-54, 61 and 62. It is located in Muthiga Township on the Kenol–Nyeri highway, about 40 kilometres northeast of Thika.
Muthanga Farm’s origins date back to the post-independence era, when many white settlers left the country. The government subsequently took over the property, but hundreds of black colonial workers and their descendants remained on the land as squatters.
Over time, the farm became the centre of a protracted legal and political battle involving 61 real estate firms, Royal Capital Company Limited of Gatundu South, and local squatters represented by Muthanga Farm Limited.
Most of the squatters originate from neighbouring Machakos County but are registered voters in Murang’a, a factor that has fuelled political and social tensions. On October 23, 2013, the late Gatundu South MP Ngugi Nyumu petitioned Parliament, arguing that his constituents were the rightful owners of the land. His position, however, was fiercely opposed by then Maragua MP Peter Kamande, who maintained that the property belonged to residents of Murang’a.
Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has also weighed in during past campaigns in Murang’a, demanding that the squatters—whom he described as “my people”—be issued with title deeds. Mr Nyumu had sought either formal recognition of Gatundu residents’ occupation rights or compensation using public funds to enable them to vacate the land.
In 1987, the government established a land commission to determine ownership. The farm was later subdivided into smaller parcels, and titles were issued in 1988. The move was challenged in court a decade later in 1998, plunging the matter into prolonged litigation.
For 27 years, the squatters have been entangled in legal battles, including a 2002 eviction order that sparked violent clashes in which three people—among them a police officer—were killed and 20 others injured.
In 2024, then Central Region Commissioner Fred Shisia launched a 100-day process to fast-track a resolution under the direct oversight of Prof Kithure Kindiki, who was then Interior Cabinet Secretary.
Maragua MP Mary Wa Maua.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
The multi-agency team included Prof Kindiki’s representative Kepha Onyiso; Maragua MP Mary wa Maua; Regional National Intelligence Service Director Patrick Gikonyo; Interior PS representative Nancy Murega; and Joyce Kinyanjui of the National Lands Commission.
Zaverio Kinyua and Orare Nyagaka represented the Ministry of Lands, while Michael Kagwe represented the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning. Mr Shisia and Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata served as hosts.
Mr Shisia explained that the process would involve reviewing the farm’s history, identifying past and present claimants, and verifying the official cadastral map. He added that squatters without titles would either be protected from eviction or resettled elsewhere. Two years later, little tangible progress has been made, deepening anxiety among the families who fear they may never secure permanent ownership.
MP wa Maua has urged Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome to take a more proactive role in resolving the impasse.
“This constituency has more than 6,000 squatters. CS Wahome comes from this region and she should demonstrate that our support for President Ruto’s 2027 re-election bid is not in vain,” she said. CS Wahome, however, cautioned that land disputes cannot be settled through political pressure alone, insisting that legal processes must be followed.
“Land matters cannot be resolved through grandstanding. There are laws that allow stakeholders to engage, and some solutions may require legal reforms—not theatrics,” she said.
She maintained that President Ruto remains committed to resolving squatters’ challenges and that some progress is underway.
“The closest we came to a breakthrough was when Prof Kindiki was Interior CS. Since his elevation to Deputy President, momentum has slowed,” she said.
Prof Kindiki had conveyed a 2023 directive from President Ruto ordering the Central Regional Security Committee to arbitrate the 1,040-acre Muthanga Farm dispute by the end of 2024.
“My hope is that this matter will be resolved in a way that reflects the bottom-up economic model of a Hustlers’ Nation. We must show citizens that supporting President Ruto is worthwhile,” she said.
She added that she intends to lobby for President Ruto to preside over a ceremony to issue title deeds to the squatters once the matter is settled.
