In Mavoko Sub-County, residents of Standard Media Group Sacco are pushing for an investigation into what they believe to be a fraudulent attempt to carve out a public road through their gated community.

The dispute has ignited tensions as residents suspect that forged documents from the Machakos County Lands Office are being used to justify the road, leading to a petition to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

According to Standard Court (Block 25) residents, the planned road infringes on their private estate, a situation they argue has been manipulated by corrupt officials with hidden interests.

The residents have accused the Lands Office of overstepping its authority in creating what they claim is a fictitious public road.

In a petition to the DCI, Martin Mutua, Chairperson of Standard Court Residents, expressed frustration over the ongoing saga, which he described as a deliberate attempt to disregard the rights of his fellow residents.

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“The Machakos Lands Office has insisted on creating a public road through our private estate. Some officials appear to have vested interests, and their impartiality is now in question,” Mutua stated.

The issue centres around discrepancies between two survey reports.

The first, conducted in 2017, stated the road in question was 4 metres wide. But a second report, issued in December 2024, claims the road is now 9 metres wide.

What’s more, the 2017 report was sent solely to Arusha Court residents, with no mention of Standard Court.

This has led residents to suspect that the process was manipulated to exclude them from the conversation.

The situation has a long history. In 2017, a meeting at the Deputy County Commissioner’s office declared that no public road existed in the area.

Subsequently, an arbitrator ruled in favour of Standard Court residents, confirming the road didn’t exist.

However, after a dispute with Wema Court residents, who had initially been using the road, Arusha Court residents resumed their efforts to claim the route.

“The excessive impunity displayed by the Lands Office has created an unnecessary conflict between the two courts,” said Mutua.

With this ongoing tension, residents are now calling for a thorough investigation into the legitimacy of the documents in question.

They have requested that the DCI examine the minutes from previous meetings, cross-check the survey coordinates, and review the maps used to support the road’s creation.

Despite these mounting concerns, the DCI has yet to respond to the petition, leaving residents in a state of uncertainty as they await further action.