The government now says there were plans to demolish the Standard Group Limited headquarters along Mombasa Road owing to the initial Nairobi Expressway design.
Speaking at an interview on Spice FM on Thursday, June 2, one of the radio stations owned by the media house, Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU) head, Andrew Wakahiu, stated that the government had intended to purchase the SG land given its proximity to Mombasa Road.
However, he disclosed that the plan was not feasible in the end and led to the contractor's change of design.
"One of the challenges that we had that had a significant delay on the expressway was this building (SG headquarters) where I am in right now. The way this building was done will have required the acquisition of this land. It did not seem to be feasible which then called for the redesigning of the road," he stated.
Wakahiu added that the change of design played a big part in the delay in the completion and opening of the 27-kilometer road which was to be completed in March.
The expressway was opened on a trial basis in April due to delays in completion.
"When you give timelines, you give them based on certain environmental factors, then these shifts lead to timelines shift as well. Our work is to ensure that these timeline shifts do not affect the delivery of the project.
"When President Uhuru Kenyatta said that he would launch the expressway in March, it was the intention he had declared. It is not always that the intentions are met. That is where the PDU comes in," explained Wakahiu.
In 2011, the SG management locked horns with the government after it gazetted plans to acquire the land for the expansion of Mombasa Road.
At the time, the management called on President Mwai Kibaki and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga to intervene, stating that the plans would have severe economic consequences.
"The overriding economic impact will be not only to undermine Kenya's investment climate both locally and internationally but also bring in a worrying element of uncertainty on the predictability of land usage in the country.
"Those charged with the responsibility of design and development of the country’s road master plan have failed in their duty, care, and professionalism to plan for workable solutions consistent with best international practices and have elected a draconian option that amounts to the destruction of tens of billions of shillings worth of investment and loss of thousands of jobs," the management stated then.
SG is the parent company of KTN News, KTN, and the Standard Newspaper among other media outlets.
