Babu Owino Asks Governor Mike Sonko to Go After Weston Hotel

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino on Thursday asked Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko to bring down Weston Hotel in a bid to reclaim grabbed land in the city.

Referring to the county head's earlier statement where he stated that all structures on the riparian zones and road reserves would be demolished, Babu dared Sonko to take on the hotel that is associated with DP William Ruto.

"I expect my brother Mike Sonko to walk the talk. We all want to see Lang'ata Primary School get back their land from Weston Hotel," he tweeted.

[caption caption="The Weston Hotel"][/caption]

The dispute between Lang'ata primary school and Weston hotel came about over a parcel of land which the school claimed to be their playground.

During protests in 2015, pupils took down the wall erected by the hotel restricting access to the playground, a move that was countered with teargas by police officers.

[caption caption="The protests by Lang'ata Primary School in 2015"][/caption]

The protests drew national and international attention with a quick google search of 'Langa'ta primary school' showing scenes from that day.

Following the daring acts by the children, President Uhuru Kenyatta issued a directive to the Ministry of Land and the National Land Commission (NLC) to ensure all public schools have titles for their land.

In the recent demolitions in the city which has seen a section of the Southend mall in Lang'ata demolished, the Governor assured that he will not relent as he is more focused on leaving 'a legacy than entertaining grabbing of public land.'

He added that even his property in Buru Buru, that was part of a road reserve, would not be spared.

"Even myself, there is a land I bought in Buru Buru. About an acre of that land is part of road access and we shall start by demolishing that wall," he stated.

He further noted that any county/NEMA official who conspired with grabbers to approve building plans on public utilities would also be prosecuted alongside the suspected grabbers.

[caption caption="Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko speaking during an event in August"][/caption]

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