Tigania East residents in Meru County held protests in bid to stop Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) training centre from forcefully a 20,0000-acres piece of land which residents term as ancestral.
The residents decried that the move by KDF would render about 40,000 people homeless in addition to loss of nine schools, three AP camps, a health facility and thirteen boreholes.
Under the stewardship of EALA MP Mpuru Aburi, the residents vowed to stage peaceful demonstrations at Muthara.
"Government has already stopped acquisition for Isiolo land, and yet we are driven away from our land. We will compel the president on the matter," Aburi told farmers.
According to a report by parliamentary Lands Committee Chair Rachel Nyamai, it emerged that the land was issued out to KDF in 1977, yet the residents were never compensated.
"Despite the 1977 gazette notice calling upon compensation application by those who had claims, the public may never have had an access to the notice, hence reports indicating no claim launched," Nyamai said.
KDF was further blamed for installing fence only on some part of the land and leaving the rest prone to encroachment.
"KDF failed in securing the land, something which possibly led to residents settling on it," she added.
According to Aburi, "residents had over 40 years after settling, believing that the KDF land was the one that had been fenced. Residents know elsewhere, given that social amenities are build here."
Ministry of Lands was also blamed for adjudicating the land which they very well knew belonged to KDF, even to a point of issuing allotment letters.