A presidential promise from half a century ago has erupted into a contentious land dispute in Nairobi’s Kamukunji constituency. An elderly women's cultural group, the Galole Women Dancers, is fighting to hold onto a piece of land they claim was a personal gift from Mzee Jomo Kenyatta in 1966, now valued at approximately KES 210 million.

The dispute places the dancers, whose lineage traces back to the famed Nyakinyua dancers, in direct conflict with Maina Wanjigi Girls Secondary School, which has occupied the seven-acre compound for over four decades. This escalating row is not merely about property; it's a battle over legacy, security, and the sanctity of public school land in a city rife with grabbing attempts.

The Galole Women Dancers Group holds an allotment letter, a title deed, and a green card for the 0.33-hectare parcel, identified as LR No. Nairobi Block 49/977. Appearing before the Nairobi City County Assembly's Planning Committee, the group’s chairperson, Halima Gole, detailed a harrowing ordeal. “They come at midnight, break into our houses and order us to leave. Our homes have been burned three times,” she recounted, emphasizing the physical and emotional toll on the group's frail and widowed members.

A History of Claims and Threats

The school was established on the site in 1982, spearheaded by then-Kamukunji MP Maina Wanjigi in a project jointly funded by the women's group and the government. However, the school itself lacks a formal title deed for the land, a critical vulnerability that has opened the door to multiple claims and, according to school officials, repeated invasion attempts.

The school's principal, Nancy Gathu, expressed grave concerns for her safety, noting this was the third attempt by intruders to seize the land. “My life is in danger because this group believes I am the person standing between them and the land,” she stated after armed individuals demolished a section of the school's perimeter wall in a pre-dawn incident. This wall was erected by the Ministry of Education in 2018 specifically to protect the school from such encroachment.

Area MP Yusuf Hassan has stood firmly with the school, vowing to protect public property from what he describes as organized cartels. “As long as I am alive and serving as Kamukunji Member of Parliament, no public or government land can be taken,” Hassan declared, adding that he would escalate the matter to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

Official Intervention and Murky Waters

The situation is further complicated by the emergence of a third party, a Mr. Kariuki, who also lays claim to the same parcel, a development that led Kamukunji Deputy County Commissioner Fredrick Martin Muli to describe the matter as “murky and complicated.” Muli had initially requested the Director of Survey to establish the property's official boundaries but halted the process when the third claimant emerged.

Key points in the ongoing dispute include:

• **The Dancers' Claim:** A 1966 gift from Jomo Kenyatta, supported by a title deed.
• **The School's Position:** Occupancy since 1982 and protection as public land, though it lacks its own title.
• **Allegations of Harassment:** The women's group reports arson and violent eviction attempts.
• **Official Stalemate:** The Ministry of Lands and the Ministry of Education are involved, but the lack of clear documentation for all parties has created a deadlock.

With the Ministry of Education's legal department now handling the case, the fate of the land hangs in the balance. For the elderly dancers, it is a fight for their home and history. For the school, it is a struggle to secure a safe space for its 600 students against what its supporters call predatory land cartels. The resolution of this conflict will not only determine ownership but also send a powerful message about the protection of public lands and the validation of historical claims in modern Kenya.