Hopes of over 100 elderly women from Athi River Sub-County to get free land from the state were on Wednesday shattered after the area deputy county commissioner, said there is no land to be given to 'squatters'.
Addressing a public baraza at Kwa Mang'eli village in Athi River Town, Kodeck Makori said there were no squatters in the sub-county but victims of individual land grabbing.
"More than 100 elderly women thronged my office this morning requesting that I give them free land for settlement claiming they are squatters, I have got no land in Athi River to give. Neither do any of the provincial administrators in the region," said Makori.
Makori told off the women saying he was well informed that issues of squatters in Athi River were neither here nor there.
"All those elderly women, men and youth who are moving around looking for free land claiming they are squatters or with the intent of grabbing either public or private land should stop with immediate effect," said Makori.
Makori said some of the residents were also fond of grabbing land which had been bought by private investors claiming the land belonged to their ancestors given that the new holders are non locals.
"You cannot sell land which does not belong to you, Some of you especially the aged women claim their husbands, children and grand children had been buried on land they do not own, an argument that is also experienced in Kwa Mang'eli village though there is no cemetery in the area," said Makori.
Makori said majority of the residents who claimed they were squatters were not natives of the sub-county.
"How can these people claim they are squatters in Athi River while their children cannot be recruited in the army because their identification cards read other districts some of which are within Makueni, Kitui and Embu Counties. How then can their parents claim they were born in Athi River," said Makori.
The deputy commissioner warned culprits fond of land grabbing stating that they should buy their own land and stop intimidating individual non local investors as all Kenyans have a constitutional right to own property in any part of the country.
Makori said it is only the national land commission and land's ministry which are constitutionally mandated to handle land ownership matters and therefore the residents should seize engaging with individual cons who con them their hard earned money.