Property of unknown value was on Saturday morning destroyed when hired youths invaded a disputed parcel of land in in Hospital Ward in Thika Town constituency in a bid to eject occupants.
The 6.30am invasion caught many residents unawares, some who lost property of thousands of shillings after bulldozers demolished their houses.
“I was awoken by a loud bang as my house was being brought down,” said Juanita Maina, a resident.
“I barely saved a thing. My investments were reduced to nothing in a single hour.”
A fierce confrontation ensured between the youths and the occupants of the disputed land, which left some members of ether side injured.
The land is the centre of a dispute between the residents and a private developer who sought anonymity, claims to have the legal ownership of the land and that he had obtained a court order to evict them.
Residents said the land was acquired from the defunct local government.
“This land is ours. We acquired it legally from the defunct Thika Municipal Council,” said Simon Karanja, one of the victims.
An effort by the Hospital Ward MCA Mwangi Wamwangi to intervene proved futile after a section of youths ejected him from the scene.
Anti-riot police had to intervene to bring calm. The police fired in the air in attempt to disperse the tense confrontation between the residents and the youths.
Addressing the residents, Majengo OCS Abudhullai Mohammed said that the matter of the disputed land would be investigated to know the rightful owner.
“We will work with all stake holders to ascertain the ownership of the land,” said Mohammed.
Mwangi, the area ward representative, however refuted allegations that a court order had been granted to the victims.
“We have no evidence of any court order demanding the victims to vacate the disputed land,” he said.