The politically motivated, illegal raid on the Uhuru Kenyatta family’s property was inevitable; security agencies were made aware of the plan but took no action.
And the large Northlands farm at Kamakis on the Eastern Bypass in Kiambu County was the intended target of the invasion, which took place on Monday during anti-government demonstrations organized by opposition leader Raila Odinga. A group that Nation has determined was incited by some politicians robbed and set it on fire.
A gang that was transported from Dandora and Kayole also conducted an attack against the gas cylinder manufacturer East Africa Spectre Limited, a business that is connected to Mr. Odinga’s family.
Plans to attack the Kenyatta property were first suggested last Friday and were finalized by Sunday night, according to Nation.
Among individuals who apparently played key roles in organizing the gang last Friday when the conspiracy to thwart Monday’s demonstrations was hatched are two MPs, a former governor, and a well-known Kiambu musician. The young people were gathered at Kiambu and Nairobi.
They were ferried from Ruiru, Githurai 45, and Gatundu South in Kiambu as well as Ruai, Kayole, and Mathare in Nairobi, according to Wakenyaleo.co.ke. They received Sh3,000 each, according to sources, and were also given machetes and a power saw to cut down trees on the large property.
“They are youths known to belong to a criminal formation going by several names but coalescing around doctrines of the proscribed Mungiki sect. They are always on standby to be recruited in real estate conflicts where several developers have an interest in one plot. Those are the characters our good friends in politics hired for the raid,” said a senior intelligence officer in Kiambu County.
Security circles
He said the intelligence was shared within relevant security circles. But no action or directive was issued until Monday when the invasion began.
“I was told on Sunday evening that I should be alert because there was a job planned for us and we would be paid well,” one of the gang members told Nation.
Some of the gang members assembled early along the Githurai-Mwihoko road, which connects to the Eastern Bypass, in Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) and were paid Sh3,000 and given machetes as they alighted.
They then traveled to Northlands City, a large area where the Kenyatta family intends to construct a Sh500 billion city.
“They were on the ground and gave each of us Sh3,000 as they got out of the PSVs. They asked us not to fight over the money since they said they had enough cash for everyone, according to another gang member. Local boda boda drivers claimed to have seen the gang members steal the money.
“The buses came, dropped them off, and drove away. As we watched, some folks were paying them as they descended. One of the motorcycle taxi drivers claimed, “I left when I realized things were getting out of hand. Two police officers watched but did not intervene in the attack.
The goons breached the fence, and slaughtered sheep and goats, while others stole the animals —which they then sold for as little as Sh2,000 — and cut down trees with the power saw in an orgy of looting that lasted over 10 hours.
As they chanted in Kiswahili that they were “children of Mau Mau who were also entitled to property,” other people erected temporary buildings to represent ownership.
Officials in charge of local security stated they were told not to answer. Police chiefs in Nairobi’s sub-counties were told to have reinforcements ready to deal with rioters.
A senior detective in one of the Kiambu sub-counties told Nation, “We could not act on Monday till today (yesterday) because our superior forcefully advised us to put our officers on readiness for deployment in Nairobi and that we should not transfer our team to any other place.
Another detective said to Nation, “You witnessed what happened yesterday and I can guarantee you if we tried to go against the directive from our seniors we would be jobless or reassigned today.”
The senior police official who is allegedly responsible for passing along the orders did not reply to our requests for comment.
Another security officer added: “The management of Northlands tried to call us but we could not act. The government has held us hostage and unfortunately, we couldn’t act. It is unfortunate we are being misused.”
Private guards
Nation corroborated this account by interviewing private guards at the vast farm yesterday.
They said they first reported the attack at the nearby Gatong’ora Police Station but they were turned away. The police station is located just five kilometres away from the farm. Another police station, Mwihoko, is a similar distance from the scene of crime.
One of the guards added, “The police officers said that the case was serious and beyond them.”
The workers, he continued, just stood on the opposite side of the property and watched helplessly as the orgies of destruction continued after the police refused to take down their statements. Another guard informed Nation that the gang entered a remote area of the property and demolished homes and a sheep corral, among other things.
They traveled to the sheep farm and completely destroyed everything. The guard added that a tractor had also been vandalized while adding, “They also destroyed buildings where we sleep.”
Our source indicated that the raiders had been advised to ensure that journalists did not cover the farm invasion “so that the effectiveness can be major and the damage maximum”.
Photojournalists were targeted for attack by the mob and forced to delete pictures.
“Hawa ndio wametumwa kutupiga picha (These are the people who have been sent to take our photos). We don’t want anyone taking us photos. You are the people against our government. Media haipendi serikali yetu (journalists don’t like our government),” one of the youths shouted as a mob attacked a Wakenyaleo.co.ke journalist on Monday.
In the evening, the gang left the area some heading towards the Ruai direction. However, they had left behind a huge fire which spread very fast. The private guards helped put it out. Another security source told Nation the trees that were cut from the farm have been traced to a timber yard owned by a former leader in Embakasi.
But, no police officer has been authorized to find them, and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has not yet made the raiders’ well-captured images public or designated them as sought, the source continued.
Yesterday, Inspector-General of Police Japhet Koome, when asked why officers did not intervene to stop the looting at the Kenyatta family farm in Kiambu, replied that there was no prior intelligence of chaos in Kiambu and security was only beefed up in Nairobi where authorities were anticipating demonstrations.
Prior intelligence
Please take notice that, based on the intelligence we had, Nairobi County, not Kiambu County, where we haven’t recently experienced occurrences of this nature, was expected to host the demonstration. As a result, our deployment in Nairobi was adequate, and the officers there did a good job. We learned about the complaint involving the piece of land you indicated above considerably later, and an investigation is currently underway. Anybody proven to be responsible will be prosecuted. We are dedicated to safeguarding people’s lives and property, said Mr. Koome.
Yesterday, Ruiru Sub-county police boss Alexander Shikondi also denied reports of prior intelligence of the raid on the farm, saying, “we are treating the issue as [one] of great interest”.
Mr. Shikondi stated, “I ask people to cease false conjecture and let the multi-agency team investigating the tragedy do its job. The government remains committed to protecting life and property. When asked if remarks made by the majority leader of the National Assembly, Kimani Ichung’wa, could have sparked the raid, Mr. Shikondi responded, “Sincerely, I have never heard him incite anyone since I don’t attend political rallies outside of my jurisdiction unless it is during special operations.”
Mr. Ichungwah made a reference to the invasion of the Kenyatta property on March 18 of this year.
We shall attack even the largest lands, and those without land will be colonized. Don’t assume that just common Kenyans will lose their possessions. If you continue to incite violence and bloodshed in this nation, even you will pay a price.
At Kianyaga High School, where he had accompanied Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on a visit to his (the DP’s) previous school, Mr. Ichung’wa said, “That is my message to Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta, the sponsor of Azimio [la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party] and the mercenary that is Raila Odinga.”
Mr. Ichungwah stated in Parliament yesterday: “I am willing to investigation if anyone believes that I had a hand in the Northlands invasion. The police have access to my phone and can find out who I spoke to if I mobilized and where I went on or before Monday, July 27, 2023.
Like all Kenyans, he said, he was astonished to learn of the invasion through social media. According to Mr. Shikondi, the multiagency team visited Mr. Kenyatta’s property yesterday to assess the damage and ask questions.
“We are currently discussing the specifics of what occurred, and as our inquiries continue, the cause of action will be determined. I appeal to everyone to maintain peace so that the nation can advance in accordance with the constitution.
The farm’s private security guards tore down the iron sheet shanties yesterday while police who were stationed there yesterday kept watch.
Wakenyaleo.co.ke discovered yesterday that the cops came from Gatundu South Sub-county but were transported there in a Toyota Land Cruiser from Ruiru Police Station in Kiambu County.
As the leaders of the Azimio alliance, Mr. Odinga and Martha Karua, leader of the Narc-Kenya party, arrived in the area to denounce the attack at 4 pm, the area turned into a hive of activity.
The Independent Police Oversight Authority (Ipoa) also announced yesterday that it has begun a probe into claims that the police failed to safeguard the homes owned by former Mr. Kenyatta and Mr. Odinga.
Anne Makori, the head of Ipoa, stated in a statement that it was possible that police had not carried out their legal obligations.
“[IPOA] watched how the police engaged in public order management in the protests called for by [Azimio] around the country today in the execution of its mission under Section 6 (c) of its Act,” Ms. Makori stated.
