NAIROBI, Kenya Mar 3-The faces behind private developers accused of illegal evictions of residents of Nairobi City Water and Sewerage staff quarters in Eastleigh and Pumwani staff quarters is still hidden.
This is after the Nairobi Metropolitan Services failed to furnish the Senate devolution committee with the details of the legal landowners.
While appearing before the senators, Lands and Legal Director Stephen Mwangi pleaded for more time to reveal details of the bonafide owner of the property.
“The allocations were done many years ago and if you ask me who owns each plot, I will not be able to know. I ask the committee to give me more time to know when the allocations was done and the details of issuance of title deeds. This is a grave matter,” said Mwangi.
The devolution committee has given the NMS Lands and Legal Director until March 7 to provide names of the owners of the disputed properties that is allegedly grabbed.
This is even as they summoned NMS Director General Mohammed Badi and the Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai to appear within seven days to explain why residents of the land in Pumwani and Eastleigh were evicted in the surveillance of police officers using state machinery.
“We want to know the owner who is laying claim to this piece of land. We want to know this shadowy character. Even if you own a particular parcel of land why not contest it in court and give people an eviction notice. Why do want to evict people in the dead of the night,” Nandi Senator Alfred Cheruyoit said.
Senators raised concerns that there has been a scheme of land grabbing in the country with private developers grabbing public property in the name of National Police Service.
The disputed piece of land in Pumwani staff quarters is said to have been allocated to the National Police Service for the construction of a police station but at the moment a petrol station sits at the property.
“As we speak the matter is being investigated by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission. I will bring the records and the EACC has investigated the matter. There is a matter in court between EACC and the land allocators, this case NMS are witness in the case,” Mwangi said.
Senate Devolution Committee led by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang is investigating allegations that the General Mohammed Badi-led entity has directly been involved in land grabbing by aiding illegal land evictions.
Of contention is the property belonging to Pumwani Staff quarters and Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) where NMS evicted residents with private developers taking over ownership of the property.
The devolution committee members who visited the two sites is investigating the two instance of alleged land grabbing following a statement intervention by Nominated Senator Millicent Omanga.
The private developers started building rental properties on the disputed parcel after the residents were evicted in June 2021.
Senators have turned their blazing guns on Gen Badi claiming that his entity has taken over management of the Nairobi City County to abet illegal grabbing of land in the devolved unit.
