Residents of Voi in Taita Taveta County are facing yet another eviction, this time by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
The more than 100 residents of Sofia Bona Phase Two, who claim to have been living on a six-acre piece of land since the 1960s, are now living in uncertainty.
NTSA has already erected beacons to mark its boundaries, but the residents, who have built houses, shops, and churches on the property have accused the authority of grabbing their land which they claim they inherited from their forefathers.
One of the residents, Erestinah Gadi, 75, told Nation that she had lived there since March 1966 when she was married by her late husband and joined his family there.
The granny said she and her family know no other home as they have lived there for decades with her husband and children.
Ms Gadi said she had never heard about the area being government land until recently when she saw NTSA erecting beacons in the area.
"We don't know where to go. We are afraid they will come back and demolish our houses. We did not know that this was government land. Up to date, the government has not come to us to tell us this is not our property," said Ms Gadi.
"My heart is heavy. At my age, where will I go? Where will my children and grandchildren go? We need an explanation because no one has given us any information apart from them constructing the beacons," said Ms Gadi.
She wants the government to instead look for alternative land for the project and issue land ownership documents to the families that have settled on the land.
She said their previous efforts to have the land surveyed and residents issued with title deeds did not materialise as the area was skipped by land officers during the exercise some years back.
"When we asked they told us that our names had already been captured. We don't know what went on. I approached the officers myself and that is the answer they gave me," she said.
Another resident, Yusuf Rajab said their efforts to get answers from NTSA were futile as the officers who were supervising the demarcation exercise were not responding to their questions.
This will be the second eviction in Voi in less than two weeks. On January 6, 2024, over 3,500 people were evicted from Msambweni village by a private company, Sparkle Properties Limited, which claimed to have a court order and genuine owner of the land.
The evictions have sparked protests and condemnation from local leaders, who have accused the investor of grabbing the land. Those who were evicted have also blamed the leaders in the county for failing to protect the land rights of the people.
NTSA, however, has defended its actions, saying the area was allocated to the authority and marked for the construction of a vehicle inspection centre since 1992.
The authority said it had notified the residents of its intention to take possession of the land and had given them time to vacate the area to pave the way for the construction of the centre.
The officer in-charge of NTSA services in the county Zack Njuguna said the area has been government land since the 60s and those who have built on the land are encroachers.
Mr Njuguna told the Nation that they are planning to construct the centre with funds from the World Bank. The centre is meant to upgrade vehicle inspection services offered in the area.
"We are in the process of acquiring the title deed for the land. We fear that if we delay, the donor might go away before they implement the project," he said.
He said they have held meetings with the residents and the leaders in the area to sensitise the residents about the need for them to vacate the area.
"We are facing political backlash from the politicians who are telling those who are occupying the land not to move out. However, they know that the area is government land," he said.
Mr Njuguna said they have no plans of evicting the squatters as they first dialogue to seek a solution to the dispute.
"There was a big sign there showing that the area was NTSA's land. The signpost was removed some years back. The Ministry of Lands has confirmed that indeed that is NTSA's land," he said.
The dispute has raised concerns over the high number of land wrangles in Taita Taveta county, which has been plagued by land disputes for decades.
The county has a history of land injustices, where large tracts of land are owned by investors, leaving the majority of the residents landless or squatters.
The government has been accused of being slow and ineffective in resolving the land conflicts, despite the residents banking on the various agencies to resolve the disputes.
The residents have also complained of corruption and inefficiency in the land registry and the courts, which they claim facilitate land grabbing and fraud.
