Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, on Wednesday, December 3, accused the government of allegedly plotting to grab land from residents of Kangemi and Dagoretti under the guise of cleaning the Nairobi River.
The legislator claimed that while the law requires people to move 6-10 metres from the river, authorities are pushing residents up to 60 metres away from the river. He questioned the motive behind the extended evictions.
"So the question is, if you intend to move people for a distance between 6 and 10 metres from the river, further from the river, why do you want to move people to a distance of 60 metres. This extra land, who is the beneficiary of this extra land?" Owino stated.
The Nairobi River flows through Dagoretti, crosses Naivasha Road between Uthiru and Kawangware, and runs south of Mountain View estate and Kangemi before emerging near James Gichuru Road close to the Westlands-Rhapta area.
In March, President William Ruto launched the Nairobi River Regeneration and Engineering Works Programme at a cost of Ksh50 billion. The project includes pushing residents from the riparian land to end frequent crises that result from flooding in these estates.
The project included building a 60km sewer line, 50,000 affordable housing units in reclaimed river-corridor land, flood mitigation, waste and sewer infrastructure upgrades, and overall river basin ecological rehabilitation.
However, Babu Owino on Wednesday revealed that residents are being pushed beyond what the law permits and affected parcels are ancestral freehold land with sentimental attachment to the residents.
He argued that the government is grabbing property from rightful owners without following due process. Owino noted that established procedures exist for converting public property to private property, including provisions for compensation.
However, he claimed the government is not offering compensation to affected families.
"I want to tell you that the said parcel of land, this ancestral land, has sentimental attachment because these are freehold parcels of land, not leasehold," he added.
The MP has called on Westlands and Dagoretti residents to unite and resist the evictions, warning the government against proceeding with the alleged land grab.
He called on the residents to protect their property rights as guaranteed by the Constitution of Kenya.
