Police clash with artisans over disputed Grogan plot

Police Tuesday sealed off a piece of disputed private land in Nairobi’s Grogan area, leaving nearly 1,000 motor vehicle mechanics and jua kali artisans jobless.

The mechanics engaged police in running battles for the better part of the day as they sought access to their workshops.

The Kenya National Federation of Jua Kali Association faulted the government over the evacuation, saying it had neglected the interests of minority groups.

The association’s secretary- general, Charles Kalomba, said the artisans stand to lose millions if the government continues interfering with their operations.

“We shall champion for decent treatment,” he said.

Mr Kalomba called on the government to set aside designated pieces of land for jua kali artisans to avoid land ownership tussles in future.

The ownership of the land has been in dispute since Jamia Masjidah (registered trustees of the Jamia Mosque Committee) claimed it, saying the mechanics were squatters.

Jamia Masjidah said it had bought the parcel from Hussein Ahmedali Hebatualaa. A court ruling had asked the more than 900 mechanics to vacate the piece of land valued at Sh2 billion to enable Jamia Masjidah build a school and mosque.

The mechanics, in return, were allocated 1.25 acres of land, which they claimed was not enough.