The government on Friday, November 22, gave residents of Kaptembwa, Nakuru, one month to vacate state-owned land.
Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi called upon the residents to leave the land owned by Kenya Pipeline. He made the remarks while touring the oil depot in the area.
“It has come to my attention that a lot of private individuals and developers have encroached on our pipeline wayleave. As a matter of fact, I am briefed that Kaptembwa market has significantly encroached on our pipeline wayleave to the extent that some sections of the market have been constructed on top of the pipeline,” he announced.
“This is a very very dangerous and risky development. As a government we are putting such persons on notice that they should take the shortest possible time to evacuate themselves from our wayleave areas,” he added.
“For now I shall be giving them one month to make the necessary arrangements and vacate from the pipeline wayleave,” he reiterated.
Wandayi warned the residents who have occupied the land of grave impending consequences if they do not heed the government’s directive.
“After one month if they don’t do so, we shall liaise with the relevant government agencies to take the next logical steps. The bottom line is that we must rid people and settlements of this government land,” he stated.
The CS acknowledged that the issue of squatting on government land extended to other areas beyond Nakuru. Despite this, Wandayi affirmed that he had a particular focus on the Nakuru Oil Depot.
“I know that this problem extends to other areas but I am particularly focused on the Nakuru pipeline wayleave,” he added.
Wandayi further noted that failure to vacate the land would lead to crippling of Kenya Pipeline’s operations. “We urge the occupants of the land to move out and allow the operations of Kenya Pipeline to run without any form of hindrance,” he added.
He added that the danger posed by residents simultaneously occupying the land while Kenya Pipeline conducted its operations was too great to risk. “It is imperative that the residents leave the land so as not to create any unnecessary danger to not only their lives but to the lives of other ordinary Kenyans,” Wandayi asserted.
The Nakuru Oil Depot is one of the busiest depots in the country. In 2023, the government installed an ultra-modern bottom-loading facility to aid in efficient and safer ways of loading petroleum products. In its first month of operationalisation, the bottom loading services accrued revenues of more than Ksh70 million a month.
