An elderly woman in Kisumu’s Nyamasaria area is set to receive a new home after comedian and philanthropist Eric Omondi pledged to build one for her. The pledge came after reports surfaced that her house was demolished and she was evicted from her land, which was allegedly sold without her knowledge or consent.

The incident, highlighted by Omondi on Tuesday, casts a harsh spotlight on the pervasive issue of property fraud that disproportionately affects the most vulnerable members of society. For many Kenyans, land is not just an asset but the bedrock of family security and livelihood; its fraudulent loss means a devastating loss of food security and future prospects.

A Community Steps In

In a public statement, Omondi called upon his 'Sisi Kwa Sisi' team to be on standby to construct a small house for the grandmother. This initiative, whose name translates to "Us for Us," is a crowdfunded movement that rallies Kenyans to provide direct and rapid support to fellow citizens in distress. The movement has gained significant traction for its community-led solutions, from building bridges to settling large hospital bills.

The 'Sisi Kwa Sisi' model operates on the principle of citizen-led change, empowering communities to solve their own problems without waiting for bureaucratic processes. This approach has previously been successful in several high-profile cases, including:

• Building the "Kemunto Bridge" in Kisii after a video of a girl crossing a dangerous river went viral.
• Clearing a KSh 1.4 million hospital bill for the artist Peter 'Miracle Baby'.
• Constructing a home and an eight-unit apartment block for a bedridden mother in Kamakis to provide her with sustainable income.

A Wider Pattern of Dispossession

While Omondi's intervention brings hope, the grandmother's plight is symptomatic of a larger, troubling trend of land grabbing in Kisumu. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has identified Kisumu as a hotspot for fraudulent land transactions. In recent months, the EACC has been actively pursuing recovery cases for public land worth billions of shillings in the county, including the land on which the iconic Kibuye market stands.

These cases often involve sophisticated schemes where public or private land is illegally acquired, sometimes with the collusion of land registry officials, leaving legitimate owners homeless and destitute. The demolitions that follow such disputes are often brutal, leaving families with no time to salvage their belongings.

As the 'Sisi Kwa Sisi' initiative prepares to intervene in Nyamasaria, this single case underscores the urgent need for stronger legal protections for property owners, particularly the elderly. It also raises critical questions about the integrity of Kenya's land titling and transfer processes, and what happens when those systems fail the very people they are meant to protect.