Kirinyaga county government has embarked on a protracted campaign to repossess hundreds of acres of public land which had been grabbed by private developers during the tenures of the defunct municipal councils.
Speaking at Kangai Trading Centre while leading residents in repossessing five (5) acres of land grabbed by a private developer, Kangai ward representative, John Gitari said the land was meant for the construction of social amenities like a market and a youth empowerment centre.
He said the county has also repossessed land meant for the construction of the chief’s office and an Administration Police camp.
Gitari said the county would be passing a bill to ensure that those who were found with corrupt dealings or land grabbing would be jailed or have all their properties taken away by the county government.
He said that graders have been having difficulties maintaining the roads because of the members of the public who have encroached on the road reserves, warning that those who would not have cleared from the road reserves by the time the graders get to their area would be surcharged.
The Kangai location Chief, Hezekiah Gathura on his part called upon all those who have grabbed pieces of public land to release them without a fight, noting that they stood to lose if the government used force to repossess them.
The chief said that the population has increased tremendously particularly in the areas where rice is grown in plenty, a matter that calls for more space to ensure all are accommodated and make it easy for the administration to monitor development.
Recently, Kirinyaga county government through the intervention of the governor Ann Waiguru recovered 250 acres land from grabbers at Thigirichi area in Sagana.
The land has already been set aside for the putting up of an industrial park which is being developed by the county government in partnership with Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation (ICDC).
By Irungu Mwangi
