Chaos in Tigoni as Youth Protest Alleged Land Grabbing, Block Road
There was chaos in Tigoni, Kiambu County, after a group of enraged youth stormed a construction site, protesting against what they claimed was an attempt to grab land meant for a higher learning institution.
The demonstrators, mainly students from YMCA College, destroyed several structures on the site, arguing that a private developer was trying to take over the 61-acre piece of land, which had been set aside for educational purposes.
In their efforts to stop the takeover, the youth forcefully pulled down a perimeter wall that had been erected by the developer to fence off the land. The builders who were working on the site were left with no choice but to flee as the protesters hurled stones at them, forcing them to abandon the construction.
The situation escalated further when the demonstrators moved to the nearby Limuru-Kiambu highway, blocking the busy road for hours. The disruption led to heavy traffic delays throughout the morning, forcing police officers to intervene and restore order.
Speaking on the matter, one of the area residents revealed that the protests were fueled by frustration after attempts to resolve the land dispute through the courts failed.
“The land was given out by its original owners so that it could serve as a permanent educational facility for needy children, where they could learn agriculture and turn it into a profession,” said a Tigoni resident.
YMCA College, established in the 1960s, is one of the oldest institutions in the area. It currently has over 200 students, and many locals had high hopes that the college would one day be upgraded into a fully-fledged university.
The incident in Tigoni is the latest in a growing trend of protests across the country, where residents are taking matters into their own hands to resist alleged land grabbers.
In January, a similar protest erupted at Gatoto Primary School in Mukuru kwa Reuben, Nairobi. Angry parents stormed the school, accusing local leaders of attempting to fraudulently change the ownership of the institution’s land.
That same month, Jogoo Road near Mbotela Estate was brought to a standstill after dozens of demonstrators, mainly women, took to the streets over another land dispute. At least 14 plot owners suffered huge losses as structures were demolished in the ongoing wrangles.
With more communities rising up to protect land they have occupied for years, disputes over land ownership continue to spark unrest in different parts of the country.
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