Drama erupted in Milimani Law Court after a group of elderly women stormed the court, seeking their case file, which they allege has consistently been missing, stalling efforts to end a land dispute with the government.
The women drawn from the Wilson Mitumba Women Group have been seeking to reclaim their prime piece of land, Westpark Estate near Wilson Airport, that was allegedly grabbed by the government. The women filed the case against the state under Wilson Mitumba Women Group versus Attorney General, but for over two decades, the case has made little to no progress.
In a video obtained by Kenyans.co.ke, the women were seen chanting and screaming, demanding their file back as police officers escorted them outside the courtroom.
Drama began when the hearing, set for Tuesday, September 23, was postponed as the case file could not be located.
Some women began chanting, alleging that the case has never been settled for the past 20 years.
The petition was filed on behalf of more than 600 women who are asking the court to aid in restoring land that was unlawfully taken and is now being used by the police. The women say they were forcibly evicted in 2005.
Nairobi Environment and Land Court, in December 2024, ruled that the woman's case overlapped with another existing case. Because of that ruling, the new suit could not continue in its form.
However, on April 15, the National Land Commission (NLC) determined that LR 209/14582 was properly registered to the Wilson Mutumba Women Group.
Earlier this year, on March 26, the National Assembly Committee on Land also intervened to resolve the matter, holding a meeting with the two parties separately.
The Committee noted that the Women's Group allocated some houses to police officers but lacked minutes to define the terms of engagement.
The women informed the Committee that a certificate of lease had been issued to them on December 18, 1990, and that in 1991, they had been sponsored by an Irish organisation to put up residential houses.
