Drama ensued in Kariwa, Gatundu North on Tuesday, January 12, after an elderly woman blocked a Chinese contractor from accessing her land.
Jane Nyambura blocked the Chinese construction firm after she accused them of failing to pay her Ksh 3 million compensation for the land.
The 75-year-old claimed that she had already surrendered the title deed to the Chinese firm to pave way for the construction of a water treatment plant for the Karumeni II dam in the area.
"If you sell someone your land, you surrender your title, but since I gave them my title they have fenced off the land but they have not paid us or returned our title deeds.
"We want our title deeds back so that we can fence off our land, separate from what they are constructing," she explained.
One of the Chinese contractors was injured in the melee as police were called to calm the situation with the family vowing to pitch camp outside the construction site.
"From July the construction company have been promising us payment in vain.
"We want Ksh3M for the land, and we will stay put till they give us our land," said one of the family members involved in the dispute.
A near similar incident was reported in Migori where residents took to the streets to protest after Chinese contractors allegedly gained exclusive rights over gold mines in the county.
The furious miners claimed that Chinese contractors working in the area had invaded their gold mines, rendering some of them jobless.
The residents blamed the county government for failing to safeguard their source of livelihood. They also accused the Chinese contractors of destroying their land.
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