A majority state-owned Kenyan company has received criticism for planning to sell some of its land after the homes of people who lived in the area for years were demolished.
Dozens of high-cost homes, churches and a mosque were razed over the weekend after a court ruled that East African Portland Cement (EAPC) was the legal owner of the land.
The court allowed EAPC to evict the people who had settled in part of the 17.40 sq km (4,300 acres) of land, which has been at the centre of a legal dispute for years.
The demolitions sparked outrage from Kenyans, including the occupants who described the action as “cruel” because they spent a lot of money on buying plots and building on the land.
They said they were unsure why the EAPC did not negotiate with them instead of pulling the properties down.
The said the demolition happened before they could appeal against the court’s ruling. Some blamed President William Ruto, who on Friday said locals would be evicted to allow for the expansion of an industrial zone.
But in a notice appearing in Tuesday’s newspapers, EAPC said it had notified “the public of its offer to sell the… referenced parcels of land via a regularisation model”.
It said preference will be given to parties occupying the land. They have been given 14 days to stake their claim, adding that any unclaimed plots will be sold to the general public on “a willing-seller-willing-buyer basis”.
Source: bbc.com
