Wiper Party Leader Hon. Kalonzo Musyoka addressing the press in Nairobi on Friday. He has blamed Ruto’s regime for aiding land grabbing.
Wiper Party Leader Hon. Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka has thrown his weight behind the Association of Kenya Railways Retirees (AKERARE) in condemning the unlawful grabbing of retirees’ property located on Valley Road, Nairobi. The disputed land, known as Land Reference No. 209/1064/1, 2, 3, 4 & 5, was vested in the Kenya Railways Staff Retirement Benefit Scheme in 2006 to support pension needs.
Speaking on the matter, Kalonzo Musyoka denounced the encroachment, highlighting that this case is not isolated. He pointed out that more than 20 estates—including Ngara, Makongeni, and Lower Hill Road—have been grabbed under questionable circumstances. The Kenya Railways Corporation Act of 2006 clearly stipulates that retirees should be settled on the land they occupied, but this provision has been blatantly ignored.
Kalonzo accused influential government officials of orchestrating a land-grabbing syndicate that targets elderly retirees, linking entities like TOTA and an unnamed agent to the scandal.
“This government is robbing its own people. Retirees who served Kenya with dedication are now being thrown into the streets while their land is handed over to wealthy cartels. We will not allow this injustice to continue,” Kalonzo asserted.
According to AKERARE, many affected retirees, now advanced in age, accuse President William Ruto’s administration of ignoring their plight while well-connected individuals, backed by state machinery, forcibly seize their land. Heavily armed police officers have reportedly been deployed to guard the property as houses are demolished and new occupants take over.
The controversy stems from a 2014 transaction when the Kenya Railways Staff Retirement Benefit Scheme, grappling with liquidity issues, sold the Valley Road property to Mahadi Investment Limited for Kshs. 400 million. Mahadi Investment made an initial payment of Kshs. 100 million as tender security and later deposited Kshs. 200 million, taking possession on 3rd March 2015.
However, the deal stalled as the Scheme failed to secure critical completion documents from the Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC), leaving an outstanding balance of Kshs. 79.9 million. Despite persistent requests for the documents, KRC remained unresponsive, complicating the transaction.
The situation escalated on 15th November 2024 when KRC personnel, alongside armed police and unidentified individuals, allegedly stormed the property at 4 a.m., forcibly evicting Mahadi Investment employees. Structures were demolished, and strangers occupied the premises without formal explanation.
Retirees, feeling helpless and betrayed, lament that the government’s actions amount to creating poverty from the bottom up by dispossessing the elderly of their rightful property.
AKERARE has now called on the government and the public to intervene, condemning what they term as blatant injustice against pensioners. The association vows to peacefully reclaim the property if the government remains unresponsive.
“We urge President William Ruto to return the property to the poor retirees and stop this rampant land grabbing. How much land can one individual possibly own?” the retirees questioned.