Residents whose land was mapped for the Malindi Airport expansion on Wednesday turned to the courts to help them secure their promised compensation from the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) during which they expressed worry that they might end up not being compensated before Adani takes over.
Speaking outside the Malindi Law Courts on Wednesday 23 October, the dwellers sued the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) for delaying their compensation which has taken up to 15 years to manifest.
"The court had assured us that we would be paid before December 11, and we are waiting for that day, if we are not paid by then, we will go back and reclaim our land by force," a resident said.
Residents expressed their firm belief that they are unsure of what the future holds in regard to their compensation. They are in dilemma as they don't know what will happen when Adani takes over control or what will happen after the transition.
"We have another issue, the Adani Group, which we hear might be taking over the airport from next month."
"Our worry is, if Adani takes over, what will happen to us? That is why we are here in court to ask them to intervene again," another resident said.
The Kwachocha residents have been for the last 15 years been lobbying KAA to channel their compensation without much success.
In December 2016, the then Transport Principal Secretary Irungu Nyakera had revealed that the government had projected obtaining 130 hectares of land for the expansion of Malindi Airport.
The government had disbursed Ksh300 million to the National Land Commission (NLC) for compensation, with land survey and property valuation following subsequently.
However, the courts stopped KAA from forcefully compensating the 25,000 residents with regards to expansion of the Malindi Airport.
The residents through their lawyer Stephen Obanga had argued that the compensation would not be fair until the pending land cases were heard and determined.
"The expansion of the Malindi International Airport at the heart of town is a risk to heart attack patients, expectant mothers, and children," the lawyer argued and proposed the Airport be constructed at the proposed Lango Baya which is 60 kilometers away.
The residents are now worried that if they are not compensated before Adani takes over operations, they may never get their money.
