Gatanga: A cloud of grief has engulfed Kenyatta Farm village in Gatanga constituency Murang’a County after residents woke up to the gruesome murder of a 90-year-old woman. Hannah Ndururu’s lifeless body was found outside her compound and it bore deep cuts to the head.
According to Kenya News Agency, residents, and shocked relatives alleged that a long-standing dispute over land ownership could have been the motive of the attack. John Karanja, the deceased’s grandson, stated, “We received a distress call that our grandmother had been attacked, only to come here and find her lifeless body outside her house.” He further explained that despite their grandmother owning the parcel of land, someone had been claiming ownership and she had been receiving threats.
Karanja called on the security agencies and the government to move with haste and settle the disputes that have crept back despite residents having been issued with land ownership documents by the last regime. He expressed concern for the safety of elderly residents, stating, “Our aged parents who mostly stay alone are living in fear of being attacked, we urge the government to settle this once and for all.”
Kenyatta Farm, formerly known as Kihiu Mwiri, presents one of Kenya’s bloodiest land disputes in history. In June this year, the government, through the ministry of lands and urban development, issued over 750 title deeds aimed at resolving the long-standing land dispute. However, residents claim that the issuance did not fully address the historical land-related disputes, with some calling for fresh demarcation and issuance.
In 2014/2015, more than eight directors of the Kenyatta Farm lost their lives while others disappeared mysteriously. The deceased’s body was moved to General Kago funeral home as security agencies launched investigations.
