The National Land Commission has deferred for two weeks its ruling on a long standing dispute involving a 3-billion parcel of land in Kiambu County.Two land buying firms; Gitamaiyu Trading Co Ltd and Mugumo Nyakinyua Ltd have been claiming ownership of the 512-acre property off the Kiambu-Kamiti road dating back to 1977.Commission chairman Gershom Otachi said his team will make its decision known on October 5 after hearing a petition by members of Gitamaiyu Trading Company who claim to have ownership documents.Otachi and his team comprising commissioners Gertrude Nguku and Esther Murugi had summoned the two parties for an alternative dispute resolution mediation process, but representatives of Mugumo Nyakinyua failed to appear.
The commissioners noted that since 2018 when the previous Commission headed by Mohamed Swazuri issued summons for a mediation, the other party has persistently failed to appear and only members of Gitamaiyu Trading have been attending.As a result, Otachi said his commission has resolved to make its ruling on the matter in two weeks.The chairman also said NLC officials will first make a fact finding tour of the land parcel to establish whether previous orders have been complied with, prior to announcing its final decision.Advocate Waweru Kiragu for said there is hope for the more than 600 members who have been denied justice and access to their property for more than four decades.