Murang’a granny who fought off colonialists loses home to grabbers
What you need to know:
- Rose Wachera actively participated in the armed conflict against the British colonialists protesting the invasion of her country’s land.
- Ironically, the land she risked her life fighting off colonialists by ferrying food and weapons to Mau Mau soldiers has become the source of her old age misery.
Rose Wachera, 96, has fought and won many battles.
Between 1952 and 1960, she actively participated in the armed conflict against the British colonialists protesting the invasion of her country’s land.
By 1963 when the war was won and Kenya became a republic, she was an elated 38-year-old who believed she had played a role in winning her dependants self-rule.
Ironically, the land she risked her life fighting off colonialists by ferrying food and weapons to Mau Mau soldiers has become the source of her old age misery.
“I fought to free Kenya from white settlers and in 2021 when I should be thinking of how much longer I can live, I get ejected from my home by land grabbers preying on my poverty and old age…” she cries to Nation.Africa at her refuge in a Good Samaritan’s home in Summer Village, Murang’a South Sub-county.
She recalls how on the evening of February 8, a group of youths numbering about 20 descended on her with crude weapons and physically assaulted her together with her 55-year-old son’s family and another son living with disability.
“There is a thriving cartel in our neighbourhood preying on land that looks abandoned, those owned by the poor and the aged…Out of the blues, you get court papers seeking ownership of your land and your poverty is used as a weapon to dispossess you,” she tells Nation.Africa.
Ms Wachera claims the cartel involves land brokers, administration officers and wealthy developers who seek political and police conspiracy to execute their dirty schemes.
“That is how I became a victim and my one-acre piece of land became their target. I lived on that land with my two sons, a daughter-in-law and eight grandchildren. I got wind that there were people targeting the land and had sworn they would succeed only when I die,” she laments.
The gang, however, struck seeking to evict her and the whole family when she was still alive.
Curiously brave
“Some neighbours called Maragua Police Station that serves my Kamuiru village to come to our rescue. Indeed the police came and attempted to arrest some of the attackers. But more youths came and blocked the arrests. The raiders were curiously brave. They did not run away at the sight of police. I knew my woes had just started,” she narrates.
Ms Wachera had vowed she would die on her land and even when the gang came back after two days and demolished their houses, she slept in the cold.
The other members of her family took off and rented a house a few kilometres from their home. They had to forcibly get their mother out of the land when the gangs started threatening to kill her.
The family recorded statements at Maragua Police Station on OB numbers 49 to 54 of February 2, with the six family members complaining of being attacked and injured by people known to them.
The six then visited Maragua Level Four Hospital for treatment using introductory letters from the police that would later be used as prosecution evidence. They were treated as outpatient numbers 2070 to 2075 of February 9, 2021.
The medical analysis forms issued by the Police were to act as a warrants of arrest of the suspects. The police, however, took no action leaving poor Wachera a victim of violence without justice.
Weak complaint
A visit to the local chief Mr Rufus Mwangi to seek justice, was met with rebuff even when it emerged that strange developers had already started placing bids on her land.
Ms Wachera says she recently trekked five kilometres, from where she currently resides, to Maragua Police Station to seek clarification on her case.
“I met an officer who told me our complaint was weak since we said the number of attackers was 16. The officer said those were too many people to arrest; that we needed to reduce them to at least three or four suspects,” she says.
When Nation.Africa brought the matter to Central Regional Commissioner Wilfred Nyagwanga’s attention, he said: “I have forwarded the matter to the regional Police Commander and certainly a probe will be conducted.”
The administrator wondered how armed police officers could say they were blocked from arresting suspects.
“This whole issue is not right and it requires a review. I have asked for a situational analysis report and certainly there will be some action,” Mr Nyagwanga said.
