War is brewing between residents of Gatua village in Kitale and a businessman whom residents accuse of blocking a road they use to access their homes.
This is after Milimani MCA, Eric Wafula Mwangale led members of the public in demolishing a perimeter wall that belongs to Avir Shah.
The concrete fence which surrounded a 30-acre land was estimated by the owner to be worth sh. 300,000.
The Trans Nzoia County Criminal Investigations Officer, Peter Kimulwa confirmed the incident and said police have since commenced investigations.
The probe follows an official complaint by Shah’s partner, Vipul Dodhia that the county legislator had led a group of people to destroy their property.
Kimulwa told journalists that the matter is under investigation and that the MCA is set to be summoned to record a statement.
“It is true the businessman lodged an official complain on malicious damage to property and we dispatched a team to the scene to collect information regarding the alleged destruction to aid investigation and we have summoned the MCA to record a statement,” he said.
The businessmen are accusing the MCA of inciting members of the public to bring down the wall on the property along Kitale-Eldoret Highway.
In an interview with the MCA, he said that the businessman had obstructed a public access road by erecting the perimeter wall.
Kimulwa said the bone of contention was on the location of access road and that police are working with the lands office to establish the actual position of the road.
“As security agencies we don’t support illegal invasion of private property and we don’t encourage the public to take law into their own hands,” he noted.
He urged leaders and the public to seek legal redress whenever there was a problem adding that taking the law in their hands is unlawful
According to Vipul, the farm registered LR. 1724 was bought from Kenya Farmers Association (KFA) in 2014.
Vipul further said that, they sought the direction of land department before erecting the wall on their 30 acre land.
“We have a letter from the County land surveyor admitting that the road was wrongly located. It is on our farm and it is supposed to be just 3 metres away and not as the MCA is claiming.” Vipul told journalists.
Vipul asked the concerned agencies to protect the property from illegal invasion.
“Let it be understood that the farm is a private property and we are asking the MCA to stop misleading residents that it is a public asset,” said Vipul.
By Pauline Ikanda
