Chaos erupted in Malindi Town, Kilifi County, on Monday, June 12, after two camps allied to warring investors differed over an access road.
The disagreement stemmed from the size of an access road that links plots and businesses near the seashore in Malindi.
Residents witnessed the dramatic ugly scene after one of the private investors accompanied by youth tried to access his property by allegedly trespassing through another investor’s piece of land.
Consequently, a confrontation ensued as the landowner tried to stop the other group from trespassing, leading to chaos that lasted for a few minutes before other members of the public intervened to restore normalcy.
One of the investors accused the management of the other private investment company of blocking a beach access road by erecting a perimeter wall hence barring other investors from accessing their property.
“This is a public road and there is nothing to contest about and you can see clearly that the owner had erected a fence indicating the end of their property. The road is only 6 meters wide yet it is supposed to be 9 meters wide according to the town plan,” stated one of the investors.
He explained that the road belongs to the public and all members of the public were free to use it.
However, a manager of the private company alleged that a section of the road reserve was part of his parcel and that the other group had forcefully encroached on his property.
During the arguments, he was roughed up by goons and in the process, his car was broken into and money as well as jewelry were looted.
The investor who lost money accused his rival of forcing access through private properties and using goons to threaten him and other investors in the coastal town.
“I was assaulted. They broke into my car and stole money and jewelry. I have reported the matter to the police for action to be taken.
“We want government agencies, especially the tourism and land ministries, to look into the matter since it is negatively affecting tourism,” he lamented.
Ismail Ahmed, an activist in Malindi Town wondered why the alleged beach road had been blocked at a time when an investor was planning to put up a Ksh2 billion project that will create jobs for the local community.
“There is a project coming up here and we will benefit but the access road had been blocked which threatens investments that would have provided jobs for us,” Ismael noted with concern.
He called on the Kilifi County Government to intervene by helping protect feeder roads that enhance the movement in the area
