Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro speaking at a Past Function. File Photo. 
By Ben Okweingoti, Kilifi
Security officers in Kilifi County have been warned against harassing residents seeking justice over historical land injustices, amid rising tensions following attempts to evict thousands of locals from their ancestral land.
The warning comes after reports of intimidation by police and National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs) in parts of the county — the latest being an alleged plan to evict more than 10,000 residents from Hawewanje, Matolani, and Bombi villages in Magarini Sub-County.
The contested 8,000-acre parcel of land has become the epicenter of renewed clashes between residents and alleged private developers.
Leaders led by Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro and Kaloleni MP Paul Katana issued the warning during a campaign rally for ODM Magarini by-election candidate Harrison Kombe.
The leaders accused local administrators of overstepping their mandate by meddling in land matters, saying such issues fall under the jurisdiction of county governments and the National Land Commission (NLC).
“We are not squatters and we will not accept to be called squatters on our own land,” said Governor Mung’aro. “I call upon Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to direct his officers to stop interfering in land issues since that is not their mandate. I will also reach out to NLC Chairman Gershom Otachi to visit this area and help resolve the dispute.”
Residents accused government officers of siding with powerful land grabbers at the expense of locals who have lived on the land for decades.
Jacob Kazungu, a resident of Hawewanje, alleged that a purported investor had obtained land documents through fraudulent means, and called for the immediate revocation of the title.
“I was warned by my area chief that I would be arrested for fighting for justice, simply because the chief is protecting a land grabber,” said Kazungu. “I am ready to be arrested if that’s what it takes to secure justice for our people.”
Another resident, Moses Kazungu, said chiefs and assistant chiefs have been summoning outspoken residents and threatening them with arrest.
“We don’t want to hold demonstrations, but if this harassment continues, we will have no choice,” he warned. “Chiefs should work with us instead of intimidating us, or we will resist their actions.”
Mohamed Gurachu, a pastoralist from Bombi village, recounted years of suffering among the Orma community, who have repeatedly clashed with security officers over grazing land claimed by investors and the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC).
“Our people have been killed and injured in the past, including journalists who came to report our plight,” he said. “Governor Mung’aro, please talk to the President so that we can regain control of our land.”
The Magarini land dispute is the latest in a string of long-standing land conflicts that continue to haunt Kilifi County, where thousands of residents remain landless despite government promises of reform.
