Machakos County officials have warned the public and land grabbers to stop erecting structures or acquiring land without the County’s approval.
Machakos County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Lands, Urban Development Housing and Energy Mr. Philip Kilonzo has said that no one is allowed to put up any building without the county’s approval.
“Without county approval you have no power to construct anything,” said Kilonzo. He was speaking at Kyumbi-Machakos road at the site a public property that had been grabbed by unknown people who had already fenced off the place.
“I found them fencing off the 267 acres property and I gave a notice that they stop whatever they were constructing because it is public property but it fell on deaf ears,” said Kilonzo.
He said the owner of the land was a foreigner who had leased it and after the lease expired it became property of Machakos County and those claiming the land is theirs, are yet to present the right papers.
Kilonzo said there are a lot of similar cases in Machakos where people are grabbing public land and begin to develop it without the county’s approval, noting that it is time this practice came to a stop.
“If you are occupying public land, we are coming for you, so vacate early, and even those who have erected structures near the roads. The county has begun to construct roads so it’s better you move away,” pointed out the Lands CECM.
Kinanie MCA Mr. Francis Kavyu who was present, said they are aware there are people with fake Title deeds and they are onto them.
“We are putting on notice people claiming that there is free land in Machakos and so they forge documents and then come to grab our land; our eyes are wide open and we will not allow any land to be grabbed,” cautioned Kavyu.
He said as officers they will defend their people because the land is ancestral and should benefit the next generation either by building a hospital, a Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) campus. or a market for Kyumbi traders who are always running around selling their wares on the highway
Kavyu pointed out that they welcome genuine investors who will follow the right channel to buy land and work well with the people.
By Anne Kangero
