Four families from Gitiburi Village in Mbeere North Constituency, Embu County, have been left homeless after their houses were demolished on the wee hours of Wednesday morning by a private developer claiming to have bought the land from their deceased father.
Residents reported that a bulldozer descended on the homes at around 3.50 am to execute the eviction reportedly under the supervision of Officer Commanding Siakago Police Station (OCS) in company of four police officers.
It is alleged that the buyer was enforcing an eviction order from court to flush out the families from their ancestral land following the said acquisition of the land.
Hundreds of irate villagers marched to the police station in protest led by area MP Geoffrey Ruku demanding answers over the controversial night evictions.
Ruku could not hold back tears while addressing the angry residents after he was overwhelmed by emotions over the plight that befell the four families from his native village.
They also demanded removal of the officers from the station and prosecution as they condemned the inhumane manner that the eviction was carried out.
It was reported that during the operation, a young boy narrowly escaped death after being trapped in one of the houses after the wall was brought down.
Witnesses described the operation as brutal and poorly executed leading to destruction of property and disruption of the lives of the affected families.
“I was woken up from sleep and ordered to step out of the house as the tractor started demolishing our house,” said farmhand Wilson Kinyua.
Villagers who rushed to the homestead could do nothing but watch helplessly as the houses were being brought down since the operation was being supervised by armed police officers.
“How can evictions be carried out in the dead of the night when people are sound asleep and worse of all being overseen by a Senior Police Officer,” decried Moses Nyaga a neighbour.
The MP condemned the officers for the uncalled-for action demanding their immediate transfer, saying due process was not followed since more consultations should have been done to avert such a mess.
“This is not how people should be treated. An eviction must be carried out in a humane manner and well communicated, not a clandestine operation like the one we have witnessed here,” he said.
Embu County Police Commander Samuel Muthamia admitted there was a breach of procedure from their end and promised to take administrative action against the officers involved.
By Samuel Waititu
