- The Kibwezi-Mutomo-Kitui-Kabati-Migwani road project was launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2017.
- The project was undertaken by the Chinese firm, Sinohydro Corporation and was set to be completed in May 2022.
Image: SHABAN OMAR
The National Land Commission has come under fire for ‘holding’ billions of shillings meant to pay Kenyans displaced by projects.
The development comes as the Senate Roads, Transportation and Housing Committee summoned NLC chairman Gershom Otachi to appear before it to explain the delayed payments on Thursday.
The summons came after Otachi failed to show-up before the panel chaired by Kiambu Senator Karungo Thang’wa yesterday.
“What we need to do as a committee is to crack the whip. We do not want to be seen to be losing hope. I’m summoning the chairman of NLC to appear before this committee on Thursday,” Thang’wa said.
The NLC boss had written to the committee yesterday morning, asking to appear at a later as he had a scheduled event with Head of Public Service Felix Koskei.
“Giving any excuse to delay the appearance will be delaying justice to the people,” the chairman said.
The committee, apparently disappointed by Otachi’s no-show, took on the commission for sitting on billions of shillings meant to compensate Kenyans who surrendered their land, including homes, to allow for the implementation of state projects.
NLC is mandated to compensate project-affected persons upon confirmation of ownership of the parcels.
Yesterday, Thang’wa and Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua said the commission has failed to pay the lot despite receiving funds from the project implementing agencies.
They cited the Kibwezi-Mutomo-Kutui-Migwani road where residents were supposed to be compensated to the tune of Sh694.98 million.
The Kiambu Senator said his committee has been informed by the Kenya National Highways Authority which implemented the project, that some Sh281 million was released to NLC two years ago to compensate the locals.
However, only Sh180 million has been paid out, leaving the commission with Sh101 million.
“Why are they not paying the locals? Since the 2020-21 financial year, this money is still with NLC,” Thang’wa said.
Senator Wambua termed NLC’s action as frustrating to the locals and demanded answers on the whereabouts of the money.
“It is a very frustrating thing. This Sh100 million has been held by NLC for now more than two years going into three years. In which account does this money exist?” Wambua posed.
He added, “Who is benefiting from this interest? And if people are supposed to be compensated at market rate, the rates then are lower than today, will they consider that?”
More than 2,000 people were identified for compensation.
Worse, the road construction has stalled with the contractor having done more than 150km.
The Kibwezi-Mutomo-Kitui-Kabati-Migwani road project was launched by former President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2017.
The project was undertaken by the Chinese firm, Sinohydro Corporation and was set to be completed in May 2022.
In yet another revelation, Thang’wa said out of the Sh1.9 billion that land owners in Kiambu are supposed to receive for their parcels used to construct the Western bypass, only about Sh600 million has been released by the commission.
This is the case with James Gichuru-Rironi Road where some Sh791.22 million out of the total compensation amount of Sh10.09 billion is yet to be paid out.
Further, the committee noted that the construction of the Sh38.82 billion Mombasa Gate Bridge has not started due to delayed compensation of those affected.
Often, NLC has cited delayed release of funds by the project implementing agencies, lack of land ownership documents by the claimants, family feuds and court cases for the delayed payments.
The committee seeks to know from NLC the status of compensation of project-affected persons by infrastructure projects across the country.