The Kenya Railways Corporation has dismissed allegations by Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and his People’s Liberation Party counterpart Martha Karua that it illegally sold part of the land it gave to its former employees as compensation.
In a statement on Friday, March 14, the Corporation accused the two leaders of making false claims that it grabbed the parcel of land at Valley Road in Nairobi and forcefully evicted the retirees.
While addressing the matter, Kenya Railways termed Kalonzo and Karua’s sentiments as misleading and clarified that the protested land was the property of Kenya Railways.
“We refer to the press statement by Kalonzo Musyoka, Leader of the Wiper Party, and Martha Karua, Leader of the People's Liberation Party, where they alleged land grabbing, illegal evictions, and purported sale of a parcel of land on Valley Road, Nairobi,” Kenya Railways stated.
“The allegations issued during the above-mentioned press statement are misleading. The land in question is the property of Kenya Railways, and we are not privy to the sale transaction,” the corporation added.
According to Kenya Railways, the matter was still before the courts, and the aggrieved parties should allow the court process to take its due course in addressing the dispute.
The clarification follows a press briefing by the two opposition leaders on Friday afternoon, where they accused President William Ruto’s administration of allegedly grabbing and evicting Kenya Railways staff from their rightful piece of land at Valley Road.
Kalonzo and Karua also criticised the government for allegedly deploying the General Service Unit (GSU) officers to guard the land after it was sold off to a private developer.
“The Ruto regime isn't concerned about the ageing retirees who were sent home by the Kenya Railways Corporation without their pension. Kenya Railways, under a Cabinet Memo, vested this property in their retirement scheme,” Kalonzo alleged.
He went on to add, “Fellow Kenyans, this is another clear example of the kind of people who are leading our country. They have no empathy, and blatant greed and wanton theft backed by state instruments of power are holding sway over the people of Kenya.”
The Association of Kenya Railway Retirees has been holding peaceful demonstrations demanding the return of the land from the alleged developers, who they claim illegally bought the land from the government.
The retirees claim that the land in question was their retirement benefit as part of the pension, which they noted was never paid to them upon their retirement.
While venting their frustrations, the retirees alleged that they were forcefully evicted from the land and police officers deployed to guard it, with their houses demolished by the developer.
