National Lands Commission (NLC) chairman, Mohammad Swazuri, has condemned a section of people in Mavoko posing as legitimate squatters to benefit from the government's resettlement programme.
Swazuri said several land brokers he called 'professional squatters' were masquerading as genuine squatters with the intent of benefiting from free land from the government.
“We have noticed that there are people who have been with us in all areas we have gone to address problems on public land, such people are professional squatters,” said Swazuri.
“We have gone round various disputed public land under custody of government parastatals in the region such as KMC, East Africa Portland Cement and now Numerical Engineering Machine Corporation all in the region but we keep seeing the same people. Squatters who even own vehicles? Is that the definition of a squatter in this country?," wondered Swazuri.
The NLC chairman said the practice was unacceptable stating the commission would profile all squatters in the entire Mavoko Sub-County to determine genuine ones who deserve to get resettled on public land by the government.
"Squatters in Mavoko are organized in groups, we will profile them so that no one keeps moving from one area to another as a professional squatter,” he said.
He said there were land brokers in the region who sold public land to unsuspecting Kenyans who end up losing large amounts of money.
“You cannot sell land that is not yours, why does someone have to pay money to a person who does not own any land anywhere? Kenyans should not buy land from someone who has got no valid title deed to prove the land ownership,” he advised.
Swazuri was addressing Mavoko residents at the Numerical Engineering Machines Corporation’s land in Athi River on Wednesday.
He said he visited the land following complaints from the residents that despite living on the land for decades as squatters, 80 hectares of the initial 1,700 hactres of the land had allegedly been sold out to private developers by the corporation.