Landowners in Kajiado County are, however, demanding compensation from the State before demolition of their residential and commercial structures.
Top government officials in Kajiado County last week toured the 23 kilometre stretch and asked those whose houses and portions of land sit on the way to co-operate and leave since they were duped into buying and along the bypass.
The affected people say they will have to involve their private surveyors apart from demanding compensation. In an interview with the Business Daily, the land owners blamed the Ministry of Lands for their woes.
“We bought the land from locals and got assistance from Ministry of Lands offices which provided us with title-deeds, where did we go wrong?” wondered Joseph Kiboi who has invested Sh31 million in two high-rise buildings in the area.
He spent Sh23 million on the first building and has since spent Sh8 million on the second whose construction is on-going.
“We value roads and such infrastructure as they are for our benefit, but we have valid documents. How come the ministry and its surveyors allowed this (to happen)?” asked Joseph Lenana. Vincent Orina, who resides in Noonkopir, Kitengela, whose building will be affected said most of them followed due procedures to acquire land.
Encroachment on the bypass has led to delay in construction since last year. The government allocated Sh232 million for the project. The road is supposed to ease transportation on the Namanga and Magadi roads and link the two satellite towns.
Kajiado County Commissioner Arthur Osiya said the problem was a result of land grabbing. Among buildings affected are those of Kitengela Police Station.
“We appeal to those who acquired land along the road to cooperate during the exercise due to the importance of the road,” said Mr Osiya.
The county commissioner, accompanied by government officials among them provincial administrators, surveyors and engineers, ordered all occupants of the houses marked for demolition to vacate.
He said that a team of experts would mark the nine metre-wide road for the final time before construction begins this week.
“Last year, the Treasury released the cash but work has stagnated after the contractor realised that most of the land had been grabbed or acquired by people,” said Kenya Rural Roads Authority regional manager Joseph Nturibi.
This comes only days after the Kajiado governor asked those who acquired public utilities through dubious means to hand them over.
- Business Daily
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