A section of residents of Standard Media Group Sacco in Mavoko Sub-County have petitioned the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to probe some documents emanating from the Machakos County lands office.
They argued the documents have been used to fuel a dispute over a controversial access road pitting them with their neighbours at Arusha Court.
The residents some of whom have lived in the gated community since 1997 when the media house sacco bought the parcel of land want the DCI to probe the authenticity of the documents which they say smack of fraud and forgery.
In a formal complaint addressed to the DCI’s headquarters in Nairobi, the residents of Standard Court (Block 25) allege that questionable land records have been used to justify the creation of a “none existent” access road through their gated community an action they claim has caused anguish and unnecessary conflict.
“The Machakos Lands Office has insisted on creating a public road through our private estate. Some officials appear to have vested interests, and their impartiality is now in question,” added the residents in their letter signed on their behalf by chairperson Martin Mutua.
At the heart of the dispute are two survey reports one from 2017 and another from December 2024 which residents claim contain glaring inconsistencies.
The 2017 report allegedly measured the disputed road at 4 meters wide, while the 2024 report states it is now 9 meters wide.
Interesting the Standard residents say the earlier report was addressed only to Arusha Court residents, raising concerns that Standard Court was deliberately sidelined.
They also do not understand where the report had been and how it has all of a sudden surfaced now.
At the same time the Standard residents have taken issue with the second survey report which they say they were not involved when the machakos land officials purported to have carried it out in December.
They say they were neither invited to the exercise nor were they made part of it a move that has fueled their concerns about the impartiality of the county officials.
“We kindly, request that you seek to be furnished with the minutes and attendance register to allow verification to ensure there were no falsification of documents.
We also seek that you request that you be furnished with the coordinates, mutation for both blocks and maps used by the Machakos County Surveyor to arrive at the decision,” they added in their letter.
The Standard residents further say they believe the much vested interest and the high handed nature by the Machakos Lands office has created a non-existent dispute and enmitybetween the two Courts, that has left a lot to be desired and therefore deserves an investigation.
In 2017, a meeting convened at the Deputy County Commissioner’s (DCC) office in Athi River dismissed the claim of a public road.
An arbitrator later ruled that no such access road existed, prompting Arusha Court residents to use an alternative shortcut through Wema Court.
However, after another bitter disagreement, Wema residents blocked the access road for the Arusha residents. It is then they reignited theirpush for a road through Standard Court.
The Standard Residents are now questioning the legitimacy of the documents and seeking an investigation into whether officials at the Machakos Lands Office manipulated records to justify the road’s existence.
“We request the DCI to obtain the minutes and attendance register from past meetings, verify survey coordinates, and review the maps used to justify the decision.
The excessive impunity displayed by the Lands Office has created an unnecessary conflict between the two courts,” the letter reads.
The residents maintain that Arusha Court residents have two access roads leading to public roads which they have been using since they started residing there and accuse the Machakos Lands Office of fueling a non-existent dispute.
They are now calling on authorities to intervene before tensions escalate further.
The DCI has promised to issue a response in the next 14 days once they finalize their investigations.
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