It is heartbreaking to see the homes that Kenyans built on the East African Portland Cement land in the outskirts of Nairobi being demolished.

The images sent an ominous picture, highlighting the dangers of genuine homeowners face when they are buying land, often from unscrupulous players in the property market.

It is difficult to understand why successive governments allowed the buyers to build on the property, especially if there were pending court cases. Now, after they have invested their life-time savings into the projects, their houses have been demolished, leaving many in tears, anguish and loss that is too deep to dear.

But how did all this happen? That is a question the government needs to answer now that the court has pronounced itself on the legality of who owns the land. That ruling, though it ought to bring closure, has only succeeded in opening new wounds because the affected home owners lost their property, and some  hope in life.

What needs to happen urgently is that the people who sold the land to the unsuspecting public illegally should be surcharged, and where possible, be jailed because, clearly, they misrepresented to the buyers that they owned the land, yet failed to give them title deeds that would guarantee them legal ownership. In the past, there have been calls for the government to consider regularising illegal or irregular land allocations on humanitarian grounds. This is an option the government ought to keep open, problematic as it is.

However, it is also important that the National Land Commission conduct regular public education to ensure those buying land are not duped into investing in public property while believing it to be private. Land buying and selling companies must also be required by law to file returns indicating where they are buying and selling land, and at what cost, for effective management of land resources.

In as much as steps must be taken to stop the impunity of sub-dividing public land irregularly for public use, a way ought to be found to resolve complicated cases, such as what is happening in Mavoko. The government has ways and means to resolve such cases with a view to shielding innocent investors from losing their homes. It is only human to explore the available options before embarking on demolitions.