A 63-year old man is staring at eviction from his retirement home in Bahati, Nakuru County after his ex-wife allegedly sold the piece of land, essentially wiping out his lifetime investment.
Gathungu Mungai's woes began in 2020 when his wife and three children escaped from their family home, taking with them several valuables and important documents, including the home's title deed.
After discovering the title deed was missing, his wife contacted him, revealing that she had sold the land, even though he was the registered owner.
It was at this point that his wife advised him to seek shelter elsewhere.
Upon further inquiry, Gathungu uncovered an alleged conspiracy between his wife and officials from the Nakuru District Ex-freedom Fighters Organization (NDEFFO), to sell the land.
The wife also accused him of being an irresponsible father who could not provide for his family.
However, officials from NDEFFO denied handling any such case, noting that sometimes people sell land without notifying the office.
Speaking with local media, Gathungu disclosed that he purchased the land measuring 40*60 square meters in 2010 from NDEFFO for Ksh60,000.
NDEFFO reportedly issued him an allotment letter and promised to hand him the title deed after processing.
“The officials told me that there was a pending boundary dispute with quarry land which was almost being resolved before our titles could be processed,” revealed Gathungu.
Gathungu later unearthed that the real reason behind the delayed issuance was a pending court case over ownership of the land, which his plot was part of.
To follow up on the court case, other residents awaiting their title deeds from NDEFFO formed a committee as third parties.
The committee’s investigation revealed that a surveyor who has been mapping the land since 1998 has failed to complete the task due to pending payment by the NDEFFO company.
The affected parties then resorted to facilitating the surveyor’s activities out of pocket. They are also seeking a shareholders’ certificate for the land.
Hopeful that they will soon acquire legal documents to show ownership, the 6,000 members residing on Menengai Slopes, including Gathungu, wait anxiously for justice to prevail.
Gathungu, retired at 63, has a police abstract standing between him and eviction from his home, as investigations into how his land was illegally sold continue.
