More than 100 families have been displaced after demolition crews brought down high-end houses built on disputed land in Marurui along Nairobi’s Northern Bypass.

The demolitions started on Monday and continued into Tuesday under heavy police presence, leaving residents scrambling to salvage household items as bulldozers flattened homes worth millions of shillings.

Some of the houses had already been occupied, while others were still under construction by owners who had hoped to move into the properties soon.

Police officers were deployed to supervise the operation following a court order allowing Langton Limited, said to be the legal owner of the land, to repossess the property.

Residents watched in shock as perimeter walls and buildings were pulled down one after another.

“Saa hii chenye kinaendelea ni kubomolewa tunabomolewa hatujui tufanye nini…tunajaribu tu kuhamisha hamisha vitu..makuku,” said an affected homeowner, Ngige.

“Hii ni jasho yangu nimeng’ang’ana…watoto wameenda shule watafika hawana pa kukaa…” Ngige added.

The land has been the subject of a legal battle since 2019. Earlier this year, the Environment and Land Court ruled that Langton Investments was the rightful owner of the property and ordered the cancellation of titles issued through what the court termed as an illegal subdivision process.

According to court documents, a company identified as Meron Limited allegedly subdivided and sold the land unlawfully to buyers who were unaware of the dispute.

The court declared the subdivision illegal and directed that all titles and ownership certificates issued from the process be revoked.

Despite earlier public notices warning buyers about the ownership dispute, several people had already invested heavily in the property, constructing modern homes along the busy bypass.

By Tuesday afternoon, the once-developed neighbourhood had been reduced to piles of rubble as affected families counted losses and searched for alternative shelter.