The National Land Commission has approved an early entry request by KeNHA to begin construction on the new Nithi Bridge alignment in Tharaka Nithi County. The approval allows work to start before full land compensation is settled.
The approval came after a sensitisation meeting involving the NLC, KeNHA and the County Commissioner on July 1. KeNHA stated the clearance enables access to required parcels while land acquisition continues.
The KSh7 billion project includes a 2.77-kilometre realignment of the Embu-Meru Road to remove dangerous bends. The NLC had published a compulsory acquisition notice for 65 parcels on May 15.
President William Ruto recently said the compensation process had been completed. However, 28 affected residents said they expect payment first and expressed concern over the implementation of that assurance.
The NLC invoked Section 120(2) of the Land Act to allow possession of private land before compensation, classifying the project as urgent.