Land Dispute Sparks Protests: Mawingu Primary School Parents Rally Against Alleged Property Annexation

Protesting parents and students at Mawingu Primary School in Nyandarua County, Kenya, disrupted the first day of the school term by setting fire to a recently erected fence. The parents claimed that a few individuals, whom they accuse of being land grabbers, were behind the construction and used deceptive tactics to take control of the school property. The parents expressed their dissatisfaction, stating that the fence appeared shortly after a public participation event where they had discussed the matter.

The accused individual claimed ownership through authorization from a commissioner at Ardhi House. The parents refused to accept the fencing and demanded a second public participation event. The incident follows a similar protest in the Mavoko area, Athi River, where residents accused an influential individual and alleged collusion between a senior detective and a businessman in a scheme to annex school land. The role of the school administration in the Mawingu incident and potential legal actions by the individual responsible for the fence remain unclear.