820 structures are set to be demolished along Mombasa- Mariakani road to give space for 25 hectares of land, which the National Lands Commission needs to acquire before the middle of next year.
The land, whose tendering process has already began, will be handed over to the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), which will then begin the construction of a six-lane dual-carriage highway.
The highway is projected to cost the government Sh22 billion and take about three years to complete.
The conversion of the road into a dual-carriage highway is in efforts to reduce congestion and consequent traffic jams, caused by thousands of trucks carrying various forms of cargo from the Mombasa port to other parts of Kenya as well as neighboring landlocked countries.
The 41 kilometer road currently serves an approximated 4000 trucks a day, causing massive traffic in Mombasa and delaying shipment of the cargo.
On Sunday, KeNHA held meetings with residents from Mazeeras to set up a committee that will handle matters to do with the compensation of residents, for the demolition of their properties.
Surveyors from the authority are already on the ground, verifying the list of affected residents, as well as the value of their property.
People who put up structures after July 30, 2014 may not be compensated, as the government had put up a notice last year warning members of the public not to build any structures on the land.
However,negotiations are taking place between government officials and the local leaders concerning an extension of the deadline period given for compensation.
