Land injustices in Lamu will lead to another round of unnecessary skirmishes if not addressed early enough, a rights group has warned.
Muslims for Human Rights yesterday said Lamu natives are increasingly complaining of being driven out of their lands as government officials use their positions to drive them out.
“It starts with illegal encroachment. Slowly, over time, those encroaching then put up permanent buildings. All the while, the locals fear raising complaints officially because they are intimidated with arrest and trumped up charges,” Muhuri director Khelef Khalifa said.
Last Thursday, Khalifa and Muhuri rapid response officer Francis Auma went to Lamu on a fact-finding mission after a family complained of being dispossessed of their land by two senior police officers.
The officers, according to the family, are overseeing the construction of a church on a disputed land, which is the subject of a court case.
Khalifa said it is such intimidation of residents and impunity of senior police officers that creates bad blood between the police and residents.
“Their (senior police officers) involvement raises serious concerns about land dispossession affecting indigenous communities in Lamu and highlights ethical breaches related to the police’s duty to protect civilian property from illegal encroachments,” Khalifa said.
Muhuri director demands the immediate suspension of both officers during the ongoing legal proceedings.
“This case has captured significant public attention in Lamu, and its consequences jeopardise local peace and stability. We call on the National Police Service to act decisively by suspending the implicated officers, who have violated both legal and ethical standards, eroding the trust of the Lamu county community and threaten ing broader regional implications,” Khalifa said.
Muhuri said the land question is sensitive not only in Lamu but also the Coast region at large, which has led to deaths in the past.
“As Muhuri we will be moving to court to sue the individual officers who are using their positions to intimidate locals and take away their land,” Khalifa said.
Speaking in Mombasa, Nominated Senator Miraj Abdillahi said there is need for all Coast leaders to come together and address the land question in the region before it is too late.
Senator Abdilahi said tycoons have grabbed land in Mombasa, Kilifi, Kwale and Lamu leaving residents with stress.
“In some cases, the land grabbers are known but because they have tentacles in high places, they seem to be untouchable,” the nominated senator said.
She said the sensitivity of the land question in the coast region means it is a ticking time bomb and is only waiting for a small trigger to explode.
Khalifa said immediate action is necessary to uphold the rights and integrity of the communities in the region.
The Muhuri director said land
injustices in the coast has led to
clashes in the past citing examples
of Kaya Bombo in Likoni in the late
90s’, Tana River’s perennial tribal
clashes, the rise of the Mombasa
Republican Council, among others.
