President William Ruto has ordered the eviction of individuals who grabbed land belonging to Kenya Prisons in Kitale, Trans Nzoia County.
Speaking during a tour of Trans Nzoia County on Wednesday, Ruto stated that the individuals were currently occupying land where the prison is scheduled to be moved.
The Head of State noted that the relocation was necessary as the government has plans to expand the town and allow investors to set up shop in the area.
He regretted that the land grabbers were preventing the government from actualising the relocation.
Therefore, Ruto also directed the prison officials to work in conjunction with the Ministry of Lands to regularise the land ownership.
"Where I want to relocate this prison has been grabbed and turned into private land. I am issuing a notice that all those who have grabbed the prison's land should pack their things and leave. It is as simple as that.
"We don't want problems. That is government land. We are decent people and I want to tell those people to go to the Ministry of Lands and revert those lands to prisons. We want to build a city here. Therefore, we want to tell them, mambo yao ni matatu," he directed.
However, the Head of State did not mention those who were involved in the grabbing.
The actual value of the land in terms of size and value was also not revealed by the President.
Ruto made the remarks after area leaders including the Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) raised concerns over the rampant land grabbing in the county by powerful individuals.
On his part, area governor George Natembeya requested Ruto to allow the residents access to Kenya Railways land which was not being used.
"When I was the Regional Commissioner, I was instructed to remove people from Kenya Railways land and that affected my votes.
"However, after clearing the area, I have seen that people are just drying their maize and beans on that land. I request that you open that land for us so that people can do business there," he requested.
