Kisumu residents and human rights activists have called on Governor Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o to immediately dismiss his legal team, accusing it of failing to protect public land and county assets from alleged grabbing.
The residents claim the governor’s legal advisers have let him down by failing to effectively defend public properties, allowing disputes over public land to escalate into court battles.
Speaking on Monday at Baby Pendo Park in Kachok, Kisumu, Human Rights Defender and Kisumu City Residents Voice Association chairman Audi Ogada urged Nyong’o to overhaul his entire legal team, arguing that its alleged failures were undermining the county government’s responsibility to safeguard public resources.
“I want to appeal to Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o to sack his entire legal team. His legal team is letting him down, and that is why we still have people grabbing public land,” Ogada said.
He argued that several disputes involving public property had ended up in court because the county’s legal team had allegedly failed to take appropriate action to protect public assets.
Ogada maintained that an effective legal team should ensure that public land remains protected from individuals seeking to claim ownership of government property.
He also warned police officers against executing court orders at night, accusing some officers of allowing themselves to be used to intimidate residents and facilitate controversial demolitions.
The activist insisted that law enforcement officers should uphold the rights and freedoms of citizens rather than participate in actions that could undermine public confidence in the police service.
“If his legal team were defending county resources, we would not be seeing somebody attempting to take over a public park. We also expect the police to protect the rights and freedoms of citizens, but we will not allow officers to hold night meetings with land grabbers. No orders should be executed at night; they should be carried out during the day,” he said.
The protests follow an incident in which a private developer allegedly moved to take control of Baby Pendo Park in Kachok, secured its entrance with a new padlock and placed a notice declaring the property private.
The controversy has also been heightened by the demolition of Door Church at Poster Ground and a kindergarten under circumstances that residents say involved unidentified individuals operating at night.
The incidents sparked outrage among residents and human rights defenders, who gathered at Baby Pendo Botanical Park to protest against what they termed as attempts to grab public land.
The activists vowed to reclaim the park from the private developer claiming ownership, insisting that the property should remain accessible to the public.
Baby Pendo’s mother, Lencer Achieng, said the park was set aside by Governor Nyong’o in memory of her six-month-old daughter, Samantha Pendo, who was brutally killed by police officers on August 15, 2017, during the post-election violence.
Achieng described the park as a significant memorial that preserves the memory of her daughter and offers her a place of remembrance and comfort.
She said the park represents an important reminder of the lives lost during the 2017 post-election violence, adding that losing it would deepen the pain of families who continue to mourn their loved ones.
Achieng maintained that the park was the only lasting symbol through which she could honour her daughter and preserve her memory.
