A gazette notice signed by Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki privatising a section of a public land has caused uproar online.
Dated Friday, December 15, the notice indicated that part of the Dandora Waste Water Treatment Plant in Ruai protected under a gazette notice in 2020 was now private.
“Subdivisions of L.R. No. 12979 being L.R. 12979/3, measuring 404.58 hectares and L.R. No. 12979/4, measuring 650.02 hectares are excluded from the Dandora Waste Water Treatment Plant (Ruai), Protected Area Order, 2020.” the notice reads.
Concerned citizens questioned the move, faulting the government for impending waste management problems.
“Do you remember the 2,700 acres of Sewerage Land in Ruai that Uhuru tried to save from private developers? That land is now gazetted as private land, not public utility land. In short, that one is gone,” Stephen Ndung’u lamented
Concurring with Ndung’u, Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai added that the government is to blame for the poor sewer services.
“If you lack proper sewer and water services, blame Kenya Kwanza. They are taking back public utility land meant for water and sewer,” he pointed out.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta had in 2020 reclaimed the said land illegally allocated to private developers.
The government, through the Ministry of Interior, then released an order citing the parcel as a protected area.
The gazette notice dated May 28, 2020, directed that no person was allowed on the premises without permission from the then Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i or the Managing Director (MD) for the Dandora Waste Water Treatment Plant.
The Ministry of Water and Sanitation also promised at the time to recover parcels meant for sanitation facilities that developers had illegally obtained.
“It is recommended that all land that was set aside for development and expansion of sewerage system in Nairobi county but has been illegally acquired by third parties be recovered,” PS Joseph Irungu stated.
