The Kirinyaga County government has announced the recovery of 800 acres of public land worth over Ksh1 billion that had been grabbed by private individuals. The two-year process involved court proceedings. The land will address urban challenges, especially in Kutus town.
The Kirinyaga County government has recovered 800 acres of public land worth over Ksh1 billion that had been grabbed and transferred to private individuals. The announcement was made by County Lands CEC Samuel Kanjombe, who noted the process spanned two years and occurred during the last two terms of Anne Waiguru's leadership.
“During the last two seasons of Anne Waiguru's leadership, we were able to recover pieces of land that were grabbed and allocated to private individuals. For some, we were able to go through the court processes in a bid to recover them,” said Kanjombe.
One of the recovered parcels is in Kabare, allocated to a private individual during the 2012 transition from municipalities to counties. The reclaimed parcels, scattered across major towns, were quietly taken over by influential individuals during the era of defunct local authorities.
The county lodged a complaint with the DCI, which conducted investigations and presented the case in court, leading to the successful recovery. Kanjombe stated the land would address pressing urban challenges, particularly in Kutus town.
“We have a problem around Kutus, especially around the bus terminus, which is heavily congested with buses and passengers. Such recovered spaces can help ease these problems,” he said. The county plans to construct a new market on some of the land to support traders affected by congestion in busy areas.