Malindi businessman accuses police of destroying Sh5m property

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A businessman in Kilifi County has accused police officers of allegedly orchestrating a midnight raid on a disputed beachfront property, leaving him counting losses of about Sh5 million.

He said his structures were allegedly torched and business equipment stolen while he and his workers were in police custody. 

Twahir Salim Suod, an administrator of the estate of the late Salim Suod and representative of the family that owns Plots 686 and 695 along the Malindi beachfront, claimed that the incident occurred on Friday night last week when armed officers stormed the property and arrested him and several workers before taking them to Malindi Police Station. 

Suod said that the officers arrived at the site shortly before midnight, armed with guns.

“I introduced myself as the representative of the landowners and welcomed them because I believed they were carrying out official duties. Instead, we were handcuffed and taken away without being told the reason for our arrest,” he said. 

Suod claimed that moments after boarding the police vehicle, he noticed flames rising from a store located within the property but was prevented from intervening. 

The businessman said that he spent the night in custody only to discover upon his release that most of the equipment on his property had disappeared. 

“What remained was only a few burnt tents. Mattresses, solar panels, batteries, life jackets, cooler boxes and many other items were gone. Neighbours later told us they saw people loading property onto a pickup truck while we were away,” he claimed. 

He estimated the value of the destroyed and missing property at close to Sh5 million. 

Suod said the beachfront site had recently been developed into a recreational area hosting artists, beach operators and youth groups offering services to tourists after the shoreline shifted and created additional usable land. 

For months, he said that the family had been embroiled in a dispute over the management and ownership of the property, with workers allegedly facing harassment from officials linked to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). 

The businessman claimed that the raid came at a time when investors had expressed interest in leasing part of the beachfront space ahead of a major event expected in the area. 

The site manager, Yasir Bakari, alleged that officers confiscated mobile phones from workers and security guards before arresting them. 

“They came at night, pointed guns at the guards and ordered everyone to surrender their phones. We later found that many of our belongings had been taken away,” he said. 

Bakari accused the officers of carrying out the operation without a court order and challenged those claiming ownership of the land to produce legal documents before the relevant authorities. 

“We are not squatters or land grabbers. If anyone says this land belongs to them, let them present title documents and allow the matter to be determined legally,” he said. 

Benjamin Rama, a security guard, said that he and two colleagues were arrested over unclear circumstances.

 “They demanded our phones, handcuffed us and took us away. When I asked what offence we had committed, I was assaulted,” he claimed. 

Another guard, Steven Randu Musha, said that he witnessed the officers arrive at about 4 am and later saw a fire break out near the storage area while the workers were being detained. 

The businessman has now called for an independent investigation into the operation to ensure prosecution of the culprits involved in destruction of the property. 

He further urged police and investigative agencies to establish the circumstances surrounding the raid and determine whether proper procedures were followed.