The acclaimed "Hustler" government is facing a legal rebellion from the very people it swore to protect. A human rights lobby has dragged the state to the High Court, accusing powerful officials of sabotaging a Cabinet order to write off KES 12.3 billion in loans owed by the poorest land settlers.

In a certificate of urgency filed at the Milimani Law Courts, Sheria Mtaani, led by the combative lawyer Danstan Omari and Shadrack Wambui, paints a picture of executive lethargy bordering on malice. The core of the dispute is a Cabinet resolution dated November 11, 2025, which directed the waiver of all accrued interest and penalties for settlers in 520 schemes across 26 counties.

"A Financial Dungeon"

Months later, that directive remains a piece of paper. "The continuing accumulation of interest is plunging these low-income settlers into a financial dungeon," Wambui argued in his affidavit. The petitioners claim that despite the presidential fanfare accompanying the announcement, the Ministry of Lands has refused to operationalize the waiver.

The implications are dire for the settlers:

• Title Deeds Held Hostage: Without the waiver, thousands of families cannot process their title deeds, leaving them vulnerable to land grabbers.
• Mounting Debt: Every day of delay adds penalties to loans that many settlers inherited from their parents, creating a cycle of intergenerational poverty.
• Bureaucratic Sabotage: The lawsuit explicitly names the Principal Secretary for Lands, accusing the office of ignoring the executive order.

The Court's Burden

The petitioners want the court to compel the immediate implementation of the waiver and a refund for any settler who paid penalties after the November date. As the case awaits a hearing, it raises uncomfortable questions about who really runs the government—the Cabinet that passes the resolutions, or the bureaucrats who ignore them.