Residents in Thika town called upon Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to help them recover Ksh800 million allegedly lost in a land-buying scam involving a popular land-buying company.
Taking to the streets on Friday, June 23, the locals explained their frustrations with the company, which had promised to release the title deeds.
"We have seen the fruits of the DP fighting illicit brew in Kenya. We ask him to come to save us from these conmen. This is a serious case," one resident pleaded.
According to the locals, the developer colluded with landowners to swindle hundreds of victims. The agents pay 10 per cent to conniving landowners after duping unsuspecting buyers.
"They keep telling us to wait for the titles. When we came to the offices, they are closed, and their lines are off. We want our money back," one resident stated.
The victims lamented that some succumbed to depression after being stressed by the wrangling.
"Some took loans to buy the land but are now forced to repay the credit without possessing the land. The elderly spent part of their pension too," another complained.
However, the developers changed agents at the office to avoid accountability, among other fraudulent activities related to land transactions.
Additionally, the residents accused local vernacular artists of working in cahoots with the developers to con gullible Kenyans.
They also asked Parliament to enact laws protecting Kenyans from fraudulent land-buying agencies. This is despite several pieces of legislation, including the Land Act, 2012 No. 6 of 2012, stipulating how transactions, development of land, and litigations should be conducted.
Kirinyaga Central Member of Parliament Joseph Gitari tabled a motion requiring land-buying companies to deposit Ksh500 million as license fees before they are cleared for registration.
“The purpose of the Bill is to regulate the registration, licensing of land-buying companies and to protect the interest of persons who purchase land from a land-buying company,” he told Parliament in February 2023.
In January 2023, the company was in a similar scandal for swindling Kenyans up to Ksh1 billion, forcing investors to protest.
