Sh3bn needed to pay Kenol-Marua road landowners
Part of the 84 km dual carriageway at the Kakuzi stretch in Murang'a County on August 6, 2022. The Sh14 billion project is 75 percent done.
The government will need Sh3.2 billion to compensate families in Mathira, Nyeri County, whose land was acquired for the dualling of the Kenol-Marua road.
The residents were affected at a section between Kangocho and Marua on the 84-kilometre road that connects Kenol in Murang’a County to Marua in Nyeri County.
Details of the compensation plan were revealed by Mathira MP Eric Wamumbi yesterday.
“I have liaised with Kenha [Kenya National Highways Authority] and NLC [National Lands Commission] and they have told me that they require Sh3.2 billion to compensate the affected families along the route from Kangocho area to Marua,” Mr Wamumbi said.
He called on the affected residents to be patient, promising to facilitate the project’s speedy completion.
“I acknowledge that my people feel that the process has been delayed. But let us be patient and wait for that money to be deposited soon in our bank accounts. This is an issue that I have been following up personally with all state agencies involved,” Mr Wamumbi said.
“As you know very well, so many projects in this region were halted because we had declared our support for President William Ruto. But we are happy because the government has assured us that all ongoing projects must be completed before new ones are launched,” he added.
The Sh16.7 billion project has been underway since late 2020 and is being funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Kenya government.
Last Friday, the affected residents staged a demonstration, protesting at delayed compensation by the government.
The protesters, who marched on the highway that is still under construction while waving placards, hurled insults at the workers on the road, forcing the Chinese contractor to hurriedly withdraw equipment for fear of being destroyed by the irate residents.
The row is likely to delay the completion of this particular section of the road as the more than 500 families told Mathira West Deputy County Commissioner Anthony Macharia to his face that they will not relent and will continue disrupting work on the highway until their grievances are addressed.
Mr Githinji Gitehi, a claimant, said they have been pushing for compensation through the relevant authorities when the road was being surveyed and were issued with award letters but nothing is forthcoming.
“The Chinese contractor is being paid promptly but the property owners are getting nothing at all. What we want is compensation, we are tired of empty promises. We were fair enough because we allowed them to acquire our properties to pave way for the construction without getting a single cent but they are being very unfair to us. We are saying enough is enough, we shall not attend any more endless meetings. Let even the contractor know that we shall not allow the work to continue until they compensate us,” he said.
Another claimant, Ms Rose Nyambura, complained that her farm has been destroyed by flood water from the highway and her coffee valued at hundreds of thousands of shillings destroyed.
“We have been taken round in circles for a long time, attending many meetings that have so far yielded nothing. We have decided to hold demonstrations so that the government can come to our aid. We are especially appealing to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who hails from this area, to intervene,” Ms Nyambura said.
The project is part of the Great North Road, a Pan-African artery connecting Cairo to Cape Town, which in Kenya runs from Namanga to Moyale through Nairobi. The expansion of the road is part of efforts by Kenya and Ethiopia to deepen mutual trade relations and make it easier for landlocked Ethiopia to access Kenya’s port facilities.
