NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 28 – At least 133 residents of Chandavai in Lamu County have moved to court seeking to stop what they describe as the unlawful takeover and destruction of land they say their families have occupied and used for generations.

📻 Breaking It Down

The residents have sued the Office of the President, the Cabinet Secretary for Defence, the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning, the Attorney General, the National Land Commission (NLC), the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor Development Authority and the Lamu County Government.

They have also named Dangote Industries and two companies identified as contractors as defendants.

The residents claim to have occupied, cultivated and developed identifiable portions of land forming part of LR No. 13061 in Chandavai.

📌 What You Need to Know

In court papers, they say their families have used the land for farming and livestock keeping for generations and have established homes, mosques, shrines and other structures.

Some residents also claim that their relatives are buried on the disputed land.

The plaintiffs want the court to intervene to stop continued construction and excavation, arguing that the ongoing works could result in further destruction of crops, trees, homes and other property.

They argue that some of the property, including ancestral homes, graves and long-standing community structures, cannot adequately be replaced through monetary compensation.

The residents allege that on August 7, 2024, officers and agents linked to the national government and LAPSSET entered the disputed land using heavy machinery and bulldozers.

They claim crops, trees and other property were destroyed without prior notice, consultation or compensation.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya