Property on airstrip land to be destroyed

A charter plane takes off at the Ukunda airstrip as a herd of cattle grazes on the fringes of the runway. Property worth millions of shillings is set to be demolished after the Lands ministry started repossessing plots belonging to Ukunda airstrip in Kwale County. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- Recently, Mombasa tycoon Rashid Sajjad surrendered prime public property worth Sh1.6 billion, including recreational parks and a clinic, after years of court battles.
- NLC vice-chairperson Abigail Mukolwe told the Nation in an interview that they were already repossessing irregularly allocated public land in different parts of the country.
Property worth millions of shillings is set to be demolished after the Lands ministry started repossessing plots belonging to Ukunda airstrip in Kwale County.
The ministry began the repossession plan after the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Authority successfully challenged the illegal allocations in court.
The developers, who illegally acquired the plots, had put up residential and commercial buildings on the Kenya Airports Authority land.
Recreation parks
EACC spokesman Yasin Amaro said yesterday the demolitions had already started. “Plans are under way to evict all the people on the government land immediately,” he added.
The EACC and the National Land Commission have launched a campaign to revert to the public all irregularly allocated land.
Recently, Mombasa tycoon Rashid Sajjad surrendered prime public property worth Sh1.6 billion, including recreational parks and a clinic, after years of court battles.
He handed back 18 title deeds for the plots to Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho and the EACC.
NLC vice-chairperson Abigail Mukolwe told the Nation in an interview that they were already repossessing irregularly allocated public land in different parts of the country.
“The lands include road reserves, public forests and parcels that were set aside for public amenities like schools, hospitals, research centres and state corporations,” she said.
Others include Kisite-Mpunguti islands in Kwale, which Ms Mukolwe said were erroneously included in the Shimoni Scheme by some officials in the Lands ministry.