The Ethics and Anti- Corruption Commission (EACC) has put on notice persons, who have grabbed government properties at Asian Quarters in Nyahururu town cautioning against further development.
While announcing the plans to recover houses and parcels of public land that have already been grabbed in the town, EACC’s Enforcement Officer Mr. Ali Khalif, warned against further development of the disputed plots, saying the commission had instituted measures to revert the lands to the government.
“We are employing the Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms where the individuals are welcome to voluntarily return whatever they have grabbed to the government. We are also earmarking properties that are at the risk of being grabbed so that Kenyans get what is theirs,” added Mr. Ali.
An officer serving at the housing department told the County Development Implementation and Coordination Committee (CDICC) sitting in Ol Kalau that already three houses had been grabbed, with a number of plots hived off.
“Sixteen parcels including three that have houses have been grabbed. The occupants are well known persons in Nyahururu, in cluding former civil servants and prominent businessmen.
“With the help of EACC we have placed caveats on the affected plots further stopping any development. Beaconing and valuation of the lands is currently underway,” said an officer who sought anonymity, adding that most of them had temporary shed, with four of them under development.
The County Commissioner Boaz Cherutich-led committee, also heard that 75 houses that the Nyandarua office managed in Nyahururu also risked further grabbing as politicians and business people pushed for their vacation by civil servants mainly serving in Nyandarua County to pave way for their Laikipia counterparts.
“We cannot have our officers here stranded while the Nyandarua officers work there and live in this town. It is a high time they picked their belongings and left the houses for our officers as we seek to consolidate our properties back to Laikipia,” Laikipia Women Representative Catherine Waruguru recently remarked.
Cherutich while directing the housing department to fast track the process of acquiring title deeds for the properties, noted that most grabbers held lease documents for them.
“The Nyandarua CDICC seeks to identify and catalogue all government land and properties, while ascertaining the authenticity of all relevant documents including original developmental plans, registry index maps among others,” the county commissioner said, adding that all grabbers will be prosecuted.
By Anne Sabuni
