Lawmakers are investigating a land ownership dispute involving a police agency and a women’s group.

The 26.8ha land, in Nairobi’s South C area, is the site of police houses and other structures.

The National Assembly’s Lands Committee, chaired by North Mugirango MP Joash Nyamoko, said the probe followed claims about the existence of fake documents, erroneous land transfer documents, and double title deeds.

MPs questioned how the land could have reverted to the National Police Service given a court verdict in favour of the women’s group.

“This is a very serious matter and it mirrors many other disputes involving public land. That is why we need clarity from the State department to put this matter to rest,” Nyamoko said.

The investigation was prompted by the tabling of a petition on behalf of the women’s group by Kiambaa MP Njuguna Kawanjiku.

Claim rejected

Speaker Moses Wetang’ula then forwarded the petition to the committee for consideration.

Wilson Mutumba Women’s Group has claimed the land since the 1980s.

The committee made the decision to investigate the matter after meeting with Lands and Physical Planning Principal Secretary Nixon Korir (former MP of Lang’ata constituency, where the land is located).

Lawmakers affirmed that the land belongs to the government, rejecting claims by the women’s group that they had been dispossessed of it.

Case pending

Korir told the committee that the government had appealed the court decision and the matter was pending.

He said: “The land was allocated to the Permanent Secretary National Treasury through a letter allotment Ref: 209163XI dated April 28, 2010.”

The National Land Commission (NLC) had proposed that the dispute be resolved through alternative mechanisms, chairperson Gershom Otachi told the committee.

The women’s group claims that President Daniel Arap Moi had allocated them the land and that they had been squatters on it.

The group also claims that an Irish organisation helped them put up 300 residential houses but the project was abandoned due to a disagreement between the donor and the government.

Women evicted

Members of the women’s group then allocated themselves the incomplete houses.

In 2005, however, the Lang’ata divisional police commander at the time evicted the women from the land and arrested some of them over alleged criminal offences.

The women fought the eviction by filing a case in the High Court, which ruled in their favour.