Residents of Lari constituency have raised concerns about a 3-acre parcel of land designated for a Mau Mau monument.
They assert that despite being set aside during land demarcation in 1964, the property was later appropriated after remaining unattended for several years.
Veteran human rights activist Simon Peter Karanja maintains that the land remains public property despite the existence of a title deed suggesting otherwise.
Karanja explains that the property is located in the Nyamweru area of Lari Kirenga ward, where the current occupant resides and cultivates the land.
“Although an individual possesses a title deed, the original document at Surveys of Kenya still identifies this as public land,” he alleged.
“The 1963 land demarcation specifically allocated this property for a monument commemorating those who perished during the Mau Mau wars with colonialists, particularly on the night of the emergency when numerous local residents were killed,” he stated.
This emergency night, commonly referred to as Kikuyu Muito wa Lari or “The Lari Massacre,” occurred on March 26, 1954, resulting in the deaths of more than 100 men, an event still widely discussed in the community.
Karanja elaborated, “Several community members were captured and beheaded in that location while their homes were burned, with others transported to Githunguri where they were tortured before being executed at dawn.”
He further explained that the names of all those killed were intended to be inscribed on a monument erected at the site.
The remaining portion of the land was planned to house historical facilities where government-appointed curators and historians would manage the site.
“This location would serve as an educational resource, visited by university, college, and secondary school students to learn about the Mau Mau movement and the treatment of locals by colonial authorities,” Karanja said.
Addressing Kirenga village elders, Karanja mentioned that casualties during the emergency period included Chief Luka Kahangara, Ngiie wa Mbugua, forest guard Mathenge, and others.
He noted that the monument was designed to honor both Mau Mau fighters and home guards who died that night, as both groups suffered during Kenya’s independence struggle.
“If we allow this land to remain lost, we risk erasing the history of the Lari Massacre. While documented in books, we have no physical commemoration,” he warned.
He explained that attention shifted from the three-acre plot when the Lari level four hospital was constructed as Lari Memorial Dispensary at Rukuma in the early 1960sa village adjacent to Nyamweru and approximately 200 meters from the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.
Both local residents and government officials considered the new dispensary, whose foundation stone was laid by colonial Governor Sir Patrick Wilson, as serving as the memorial institution for the emergency period.
“After numerous years, the three-acre property was occupied under questionable circumstances,” Karanja claimed.
He revealed that he and other history enthusiasts would defend the land until the government evicts the current occupant.
“We seek clarification on whether the occupier acquired the land legally or what transpired before his settlement; our only demand is the return of this property,” he stated.
“We will pursue all necessary channels to reclaim this land. We need a tangible historical presence. We are confident this will create employment opportunities, attract students and tourists to our sub-county, and promote local development,” he emphasized.
He mentioned they would transfer the land to the government, which would determine the appropriate ministry for constructing offices, the monument, and other necessary facilities.
“As historians and elders from Lari, we will assist the government with any required information, particularly regarding the names of victims and our firsthand accounts. We have numerous witnesses, including teenagers and children who were present at the time,” he said.
Karanja also alleged that other public lands in Kirenga and Gituamba locations have been seized by private developers, urging government intervention as these properties could serve significant public purposes.