Kiambu woman says life in danger as powerful individuals, lands officials plot to disinherit her

A woman in Kiambu County is accusing powerful individuals and land officials of threatening her life over a parcel of land she inherited.

Grace Nduata claims that despite the court ruling in her favour in 2006, she has been unable to access the land following the death of her mother, Njeri Nduta, in 1999. Nduta had acquired the 26-acre parcel in Githunguri in the 1960s.

Nduata became the administrator of her mother’s estate after the Nairobi High Court confirmed her as the successor. She processed the land’s succession documents, got the valid ownership papers, and went to claim the land in 2006.

In 25 cases filed over the years in different Nairobi and Kiambu courts, she says five are still active. Nduata claims some of the cases were filed by third parties whose names do not appear in the ownership documents.

According to the administrator, she filed a complaint with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). She also reported the threats she has been receiving to the police in Mbugua, where she resides.

She claims in spite of land registration by then Kiambu Land Registrar Norbert Obeto on November 30, 2007, which declared her as the rightful owner, the same officials are now denying her justice.

Nduata cited the case of Jane Njeri, who filed a suit in 2005 claiming the entire piece of land was hers. Resident Magistrate J.G. King’ori made the ruling on January 25, 2006, declaring the suit frivolous and abuse of court process.

The ruling was never appealed. On March 3, 2006, Resident Magistrate J.N. Wanjala issued a judgement on the same, reinforcing the earlier ruling. Despite this, Nduata says the lands officials continue to deny her access.

Nduata said she obtained help from the Ministry of Lands, which wrote to the lands office reminding officials to issue her with the title. However, she claims the directive was ignored.

She has since gone to the Nairobi High Court seeking to compel the lands officials to honour the registration. She also requested the court to stop any subdivisions of the land and bar anyone from further interfering with it.