President William Ruto has ordered the Ministry of Land to revoke titles of land that have not been developed in Athi River for over 10 years.
Speaking at the launch of Square Pharmaceuticals Kenya at the Export Processing Zones (EPZ) in Athi River, Ruto stated that speculators who have been holding land without developing should be kicked out and the parcels transferred to EPZ.
Ruto also ordered that part of the land that was grabbed from the East Africa Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) and which the court directed be returned to the company should also be transferred to the EPZ.
He noted that about 1,000 acres should be transferred from EAPCC to EPZ to enable the government's efforts to expand the facility.
The directive will likely face opposition from squatters who have engaged the cement factory for years in a protracted legal battle.
"I have given clear instructions to the management here that all speculators, people who have held titles to pieces of land for 10, 15, 20, 30 years without developing them, should be revoked so that we can give it to people who want to use this facility," he ordered.
"I am informed that we now have an extra 250 acres of land that were originally occupied by speculators and we can bring additional pieces of land, additional space into the manufacturing space here in EPZ, Athi River."
"We have now been cleared by the courts on the land that is adjacent to EPZ that belong to Portland Cement. My instructions are we will take either 1,000 or 1,500 of that land and make it part of EPZ so that we can create more space for more companies to set camp in Kenya."
He added that the government is working round the clock to establish Special Economic Zones Thika, Eldoret, Busia, and Nakuru in the first phase. Through this, investors can capitalise by setting up companies in the areas, thus benefitting from the project.
"I implore companies setting up camp in Kenya to look at the opportunities that exist in the East African community where we have close to 400 million people and to look at the opportunities in COMESA and look at combined opportunities in the Continent."
The President also assured investors that the water shortage experienced in Athi River would be solved by completing the construction of the Northern Collector Tunnel.
"It was brought to my attention that the residents are facing challenges in accessing water so I have given orders to the Ministry of Water to ensure the Northern Collector Tunnel engaged in its construction is completed. We are at the tail end and working on a dedicated pipeline to Athi River so that residents and companies have access to support manufacturing in this space," he noted.
