Squatters claiming ownership of parcels of land belonging to the East African Portland Cement Company in Mavoko have been urged to cooperate in the ongoing regularisation process.
Machakos county commissioner Josephine Ouko told residents to seize the opportunity offered through the process undertaken by Kenya Commercial Bank to legitimately own the parcels they currently occupy.
The entire land located along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway next to Green Park Gardens in Athi River, Machakos county, measures 1,145 hectares.
It’s adjacent to the parcel, also owned by the cement firm, from which the government conducted evictions ,rendering hundreds homeless last year.
“This is a rare opportunity, a God given chance. Take advantage of it, don’t lose this opportunity and don’t be misled or misadvised,” Ouko said.
She spoke during a stakeholders’ meeting to sensitise the public on the ongoing regularisation process at the KCB site office on the land on Wednesday.
The commissioner was accompanied by the county and Athi River subcounty security and intelligence committees led by county police commander Patrick Lobolia.
“Register yourselves so that it be known that you are here and you have intentions. Try your level best so that you fulfil what’s required to legitimately own the parcels,” Ouko said.
“Most of you have occupied this land for a long period of time, but with worries especially when the other side (section of EAPCC land) was demolished since you thought that similar demolitions could be effected on this parcel too.”
There is a court order that those occupying the land be evicted, but President William Ruto’s administration intervened, hence the ongoing regularisation.
Ouko said the government would ensure the process is flawlessly conducted without corruption and security breaches of any kind.
The government is ready to establish a police station alongside other social amenities like schools, hospitals, market and tertiary institutions.
KCB head of special assets Oscar Oguna said they intended to conclude both registration and validation processes in six weeks’ time.
“We are here today to commence the regularisation process for the EAPCC land to try and give opportunity to the current occupants of this parcel to acquire the same. This was a sensitisation exercise intended to make residents understand the processes that they will be going to facilitate the process of this property’s acquisition.”
Oguna said their intention as a bank was to allow locals to own the regularisation process.
“It’s a journey that we will go through. We will hold more engagements with locals to keep them abrest of what’s happening as we go along,” he said.
EAPCC had earlier handed over the land to KCB so that it disposes it as compensation for a debt it owes the financial institution.
“We will go through the process
of validation of data that we collect
from the locals. Once that process is
complete, then we will go through
the planning and survey phase
which will run concurrently where
we will be working with various relevant state agencies and the county
government of Machakos for proper
planning of this particular place. We
will then allow for valuations that
will allow us to complete the sale
process,” Oguna said.
