Royal Media Boss SK Macharia Caught in Up in Land Saga
By Tobby Otum
Media mogul Samuel Kamau Macharia has executed court orders to repossess one hectare of land in a boundary dispute with a Polish investor in Kwale county.
The move comes after SK, who is the founder of Royal Media Service, through auctioneers obtained orders from Mombasa high court Environment and Land Court judge Lucas Leperes Naikuni to demolish illegal structures on the disputed land.
SK’s move has ensured he reclaimed the piece of land from the owner of Sonrisa beach hotel Iwona Strezeleora who allegedly encroached on the disputed land in Msambweni constituency in Kwale county.
On Friday and over the weekend a caterpillar machine was used to bring down structures on the piece of land sending tourists at the villas into a panic and forcing them to seek alternative accommodation.
Speaking at the site the auctioneers represented by Javan Ngunda refuted claims they carried out the exercise without a court order.
Ngunda said they followed the laid down procedure before police officers came to the site to enforce the law as per a high court order.
He insisted the matter on the disputed land has been in court since 2014 and in 2016 the dispute went to the court of appeal where the court order was issued.
“We moved to reclaim the boundary land by demolishing the structures built on it according to the court order,” he pointed out.
The auctioneer told journalists the occupier of the disputed land put up a lot of resistance before the exercise was carried out.
Ngunda, who was flanked by land valuer Gabrier Musya, insisted the central issue is the disputed boundary which belongs to SK and where the hotel investor had encroached on.
He pointed out the parcel of land is 1.9 hectares with 0.9 hectares belonging to the investor and one hectare which is owned by SK.
“What was remaining for SK is an access road to the beach plot with the rest having been encroached on by the investor,” he said.
The auctioneer lashed out at the social media for peddling lies about the land saga without bothering to get the facts right.
Ngunda said their move to repossess the portion of the land was after they got a go ahead from the Mombasa law courts.
“We demand an apology from those on the social media who have been spreading malicious lies or we are going to sue them,” he said.
On her part the Polish investor told journalists she is admitted at a local private hospital after allegedly sustaining injuries during the demolition exercise at the hotel which was done without her being served with a notice.
Iwona alleged she was assaulted during what she insists is an illegal exercise arguing that the dispute is still pending in court and wondered how could the same judge issue stay orders and at the same time give orders to demolish the property.
She insisted she had broken a leg during the fracas as a result of the demolition exercise.
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