Nairobi News

Kimathi Primary School in Maringo Hamza Ward is under threat from land grabbers who claim to be the rightful owners of the land on which the school sits on.

Residents were shocked to see the eviction notice being served on the public school, which has been owned by the City Council for more than 30 years.

On Tuesday evening, the area MCA, Patrick Mwangi Macharia, led the residents in tearing down the fence erected by the developer.

The private developer, whom the MCA described as a common figure in fraudulent land acquisition, had issued a notice to remove the school to make way for business infrastructure.

According to the private developer, the private developer intends to use the land on which the school sits on to build a shopping mall and community hall. The private developer claims the school is there illegally.

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Speaking to the Nairobi News, the MCA said the residents were upset by the private developer’s move, which would put children’s lives at risk.

“Some of us schooled in that early childhood development (ECD), and now someone wants the school removed in order to construct a private shopping mall. I’m wondering, when did a public utility start being changed for private use?” Mr Macharia asked.

He said that more than 500 children are currently learning in the school and that he will not allow their studies to be interfered with by a section of people who are after their interests.

The MCA was accompanied by the County Executive Committee (CEC) for Mobility and Works, Mr Brian Mulama, to remove the barrier installed by the private developer. Mr Mulama was the CEC for Education before being transferred in the recent changes made by Governor Johnson Sakaja.

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The MCA has also vowed to pursue the process of title deeds for the school, which he says will end the ongoing threats.

“Yesterday I was in the lands office and Kimathi Primary School is in the process of getting a title deed,” he said.

Last month, Governor Sakaja issued title deeds to some of public facilities within the county, including 31 schools, but Kimathi Primary School was not among these schools.

“We will take legal action against this person, and I have done my oversight role as mandated by the constitution by going there and removing all the fences and legal notice that he had put in place,” Sakaja said.

When Nairobi Governor distributed bursaries targeting ECD schools and Tvets, he issued a warning to all school land grabbers in the county.

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