Some 300 families in Chereni and Gichiiki villages in Thika East have been forced out of their homes by floods.
The residents living 400 meters from River Athi were displaced after the river burst its banks following the downpour that has been pounding various parts of the country.
Residents were forced to spend Wednesday night in the cold as their homes were submerged by the raging waters from the river.
Mary Njeri, 82, said she was saved by neighbours after the floods flattened her hut. Nothing else was salvaged including her three goats, household items and clothes.
Njeri, who settled in Gichiiki village in 1964 when the land was given to squatters by the government, said they have been living at the mercy of God since whenever it rains heavily the river usually breaks its banks.
“It’s disheartening to see that 50 years on we are still being forced to flee because of the floods. We hope that the government can hear our pleas and settle us elsewhere and use this land to plant trees,” Njeri said.
Resident Joseph Njoroge said their lives are in danger as hippos and crocodiles had sought refuge in their homes as they couldn’t survive in the raging River Athi waters.
“Last night no one slept because we could hear sounds of hippos about 30 meters from where we had put up temporary camps. Our lives are in danger and we need help from the government and well-wishers,” Njoroge said.
“This water comes from Nairobi and parts of Ngong and Narok. So the floods that have been witnessed in those areas end up here.”
Rhoda Mumbi said the elderly are especially at a high risk of being swept away by floods.
But some residents blame the local administration for their woes. President Uhuru Kenyatta issued 1,700 title deeds in June 2017 but the residents say the local administration and leaders colluded with tycoons to evict legitimate squatters from their prime parcels and forced them to live near the river.
“I was one of those who were paraded before President Uhuru Kenyatta at Thika stadium. He gave me my title deed and told me not to leave my parcel of land but instead develop it. Surprisingly, when I went to the DC’s office I was told that my title deed belongs to a parcel near the river only to find out that my land had been given to a tycoon,” Felistas Njeri said.
“The president issued title deeds to squatters not to tycoons, chiefs, lawyers, police officers and other aliens who were friends of local leaders then,” she added.
She claimed that instead of producing 1,700 title deeds, the local leaders produced more than 4,000.
“That’s the reason we are being given small pieces of land measuring 40x80 and some 30x60. My title indicates that I was given 0.35ha that translates to almost one and a half acres but what I was shown that is my land is a 40x80 piece of land,” she said.
Njeri said that the tycoons have already started developing their land while they are being left to deal with floods and fear of attacks from hippos and crocodiles.
Now the squatters who are living in temporary camps are pleading with President Kenyatta to order revocation of all the title deeds that have been produced for the land and issue them afresh to genuine squatters.
Area MP Patrick Wainaina said the land issue in the area required urgent attention by relevant authorities before it gets out of hand.