14 May 2008
Nairobi — People who have lived on pieces of land for more than 18 years have been advised to seek the assistance of the courts to lay claim to the properties.
However, Lands minister James Orengo said the squatters must prove that they had stayed on the land in question without interruption.
And he even offered to give them free legal advice.
"They should go to court and prove that they have lived there (land) without interference for 18 years.
"If they want legal advice, I am ready to offer it free of charge," he said.
He was responding to a supplementary question by Igembe South MP Mithika Linturi (Kanu) who wanted the ministry's assurance that families that have lived on the Delamere land since 1910 have a right to own it.
Law states
"The law states that if you live on a piece of land for 10 years, you can own it even if you have not bought it," he said.
The minister clarified that the duration was 18 years.
The matter arose as the minister answered Naivasha MP John Mututho (Kanu) who wanted to know the steps the ministry was taking to save 43 families that had lived on the Delamere land from eviction.
Mr Orengo said that he was not aware of plans to evict any group of people from the vast land and blamed the MP for filing a question that was lacking in detail.
"There were no specifics of the families, who is planning to evict them and when they are to be evicted," he said.
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