Transport was temporarily paralysed along the Northern Bypass as squatters in Marurui, Kasarani area of Nairobi staged protests over the alleged land grabbing by a private developer.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The protesters blocked the Northern Bypass and vowed not to leave the land, which is home to over 6,000 squatters.

Footage obtained by  Kenyans.co.ke shows a tense protest scene on a roadway. Dozens of men are seen blocking the main sections of the Northern with huge tree trunks, forming a physical barricade. Some wear helmets, masks, and reflective vests, suggesting coordination.

Other footage shows another section of the road completely blocked by burning tyres and logs, with thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Flames burn intensely, and stones are scattered across the tarmac.

📌 What You Need to Know

In one of the footage, the protesters are seen saying they have lived on the land for many years, without anyone asking them to leave, and claim that a private developer wants them to leave.

“I was born here, my whole family is here, and I am raising my kids here as well. If they chase us from here, I have no other place to go,” stated one protester.

They also claim that the private developer is a powerful politician, and they are asking Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and President William Ruto to intervene.

Marurui land is a complex mix of private property, public utility land, and squatter settlements, with several high-profile disputes currently active and unresolved across the area.

Large sections of Marurui have been occupied by squatters for decades. The  Jua Kali  settlement alone is home to over 6,000 residents occupying a 7-acre parcel for more than two decades.

Much of the land remains contested between private entities and the government, with a major 4-acre parcel near Windsor Golf Club sitting at the centre of an ongoing court battle.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke