Hundreds of squatters at Kasarini in Kiambu Sub-County are staring at a fresh hurdle in their decades-long quest to secure ownership of the land they call home, with each beneficiary expected to raise up to Sh370,000 to facilitate the process of acquiring title deeds.
The demand has triggered anger and anxiety among residents, many of whom say they have lived on the land for generations but remain trapped in poverty and without formal ownership documents.
For the squatters, the prospect of paying hundreds of thousands of shillings has turned what they hoped would be the final chapter in their struggle for land ownership into another seemingly insurmountable obstacle.
They now want the national government to intervene and find a way of easing the financial burden, arguing that most families cannot afford the amount demanded.
At a meeting attended by members of the Kasarini Self-Help Group and other residents, squatters said they had been waiting for years for government assistance to resolve the ownership dispute and secure title deeds.
David Gitau, a resident, said many families had lived on the land for decades and had nowhere else to go.
He questioned how poor families, many of whom survive on casual labour and small-scale farming, could raise hundreds of thousands of shillings to complete the process.
Gitau said the residents had repeatedly sought government assistance but had yet to find a lasting solution to their plight.
He said the land was historically associated with a former colonial settler and that squatters who occupied it had continued living without secure tenure despite generations being born and raised there.
“We have lived here for many years. Our parents were squatters and we have become squatters ourselves. We have children, but we still have no secure place to call our own,” he said.
The residents said the situation had left them vulnerable to eviction and exploitation, with some accusing unscrupulous individuals of taking advantage of their desperation by selling them what they described as fake leases and other questionable documents.
For Jacinta Waithera, the land struggle is deeply personal. Born and raised in Kasarini, she said her family had spent generations living on the land but had never achieved the security that comes with a title deed.
She said she survives by washing clothes and doing other casual jobs, making the cost of acquiring a title deed beyond her reach.
Waithera said she faced the impossible choice of either feeding and educating her children or finding money to meet the cost of the land documentation process.
“We have children who are in school. I have to feed them and pay their school fees. Where will I get Sh370,000?” she asked.
She appealed to the government to consider the plight of the squatters and help them secure ownership without imposing a financial burden that could force them deeper into poverty.
“We are asking the government to help us because we have nowhere else to go. We have lived here all our lives and we only want security for ourselves and our children,” she said.
The residents’ frustration comes against the backdrop of a long-running struggle over land ownership and claims of historical injustices.
Simon Ndegwa, chairman of the Kasarini Self-Help Group, said the community had pursued the matter through various government offices and the courts for years in an attempt to establish ownership and secure the rights of the squatters.
Ndegwa said the group had faced numerous legal and administrative hurdles, including disputes over title documents and ownership claims.
He said residents had repeatedly appealed to successive governments to intervene but had yet to receive a comprehensive solution.
“We have been fighting for our rights for many years. We have gone to court and sought help from the government, but our people are still living as squatters,” Ndegwa said.
He claimed that historical documents in the group’s possession supported their position that the land should be secured for the community.
Ndegwa said the residents were now hopeful that the ongoing process would finally result in them obtaining title deeds, but warned that the financial demands could undermine the entire exercise.
He appealed to President William Ruto’s administration to intervene and ensure that poor families are not locked out of land ownership because they cannot afford the required fees.
“Most of these people do not have jobs or the money being demanded. We are asking the government to help us so that our people can get their title deeds,” he said.
The chairman also accused some individuals of misleading residents and taking advantage of the confusion surrounding ownership of the land.
He said the community wanted transparency in the process and a clear explanation of the fees being demanded, the services they would cover and who was responsible for collecting the money.
“We want to know what we are paying for and why. Our people are poor. They cannot simply produce hundreds of thousands of shillings,” he said.
The issue has also raised concerns over the vulnerability of elderly residents who have lived on the land for decades and depend on their children and relatives for survival.
Residents said some families had already invested heavily in building homes and developing the land, only to remain without legal documents to prove ownership.
John Wanyoike, assistant chairman of the Kasarini Self-Help Group, said the community had more than 360 members and had been engaged in a long-running struggle over the land.
He alleged that some residents had been issued with fake leases and other documents by individuals seeking to exploit the land dispute.
Wanyoike said the group had been working to consolidate the claims of affected residents and pursue legal avenues to protect their interests.
He said the community had also sought the intervention of the courts in the dispute over the original title documents.
According to Wanyoike, the group remained optimistic that the legal process would eventually secure the residents’ rights and enable them to obtain title deeds.
“We have been here for many years. We have invested in this land and raised our families here. We are hoping that, finally, we will get our rights,” he said.
The Kasarini dispute highlights the wider challenge facing thousands of squatters across Kenya who have occupied land for generations but remain without secure tenure.
For many of these families, the absence of title deeds limits their ability to develop their property, access credit and pass land legally to their children.
The squatters are now calling on the government to treat their case as a matter of historical justice rather than a routine land transaction, arguing that the financial requirements should take into account their economic circumstances.
They want the government to consider subsidising or restructuring the fees, providing financial assistance or introducing a payment plan that would allow poor families to acquire title deeds without selling their remaining assets.
As the process enters a critical phase, the residents fear that failure to address the financial question could leave them trapped in the same cycle of uncertainty that has defined their lives for decades.
For families such as Waithera’s, the fight is no longer simply about owning a piece of land. It is about securing a future for their children.
“We have lived here, our parents lived here and our children are growing up here. We only want the government to help us secure our land,” she said.
