The government will resume multi-billion projects that had stalled due to a court order issued on February 22, 2023.
In the initial court order that has since been set aside, the National Land Commission (NLC) had been barred from compensating affected people due to ongoing government projects.
Due to the order, the NLC momentarily halted construction of the Kenol-Sagana-Marua Road Project and Kuabura Water Supply Project.
The Kenol-Sagana-Marua Road project links Nairobi to some of the major commercially and agriculturally rich Mt Kenya region as well as to Ethiopia through the Moyale border.
It is estimated to cost the government Ksh37 billion with the 84-kilometre stretch expected to be completed on December 2024.
In the latest court ruling, property owners and persons affected by a project ought to be compensated by the government.
Additionally, the compensation should be done before NLC or any other government entity undertaking the project can possess the land.
Justice Oscar Angote in the February 22, ruling had barred NLC from making any compensations until a Ksh1.2 billion case was determined.
This stemmed from a court case filed in 2013 when Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) acquired a one-acre parcel of land from a private company in Lang’ata for the construction of the Southern Bypass.
The company was awarded Ksh413,192,500 by the courts in November 2014 an amount that was never paid up to date.
Failure to settle the compensation saw the amount spiral to Ksh1.2 billion due to interests.
The ruling coincided with President William Ruto’s statement that he would continue stalled projects that were started by the former administration.
“Many projects Ruto launched were deliberately denied funding even though they were in the government's programme. This was to frustrate the then Deputy President and his bid for the presidency.
“The President is and will clean up the mess. He promised to complete all stalled projects before embarking on new ones,” a statement from State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohammed dated Friday, April 7, read in part.
