Landlords affected by the expansion of the Nairobi-Nakuru highway will go to court to stop the project should an eagerly awaited Senate compensation report be unfavourable to them.
The more than 1,200 landlords, whose houses were marked for demolition to allow the expansion on the road, said yesterday that they had been counting losses since 2014 after tenants left. They have unpaid bank loans.
A Senate report on the compensation for People Affected by the Project (PAP) is due on Thursday next week.
The World Bank-funded road is being expanded at a cost of Sh16.4 billion from James Gichuru Road junction to Rironi, a stretch of 26 kilometres. The contractor is China Wu Yi.
Last Thursday, PAP representatives met the Senate Transport and Roads committee as well as the National Land Commission and the ministries of Transport and the Treasury over the matter.
PAP secretary Kimani Njuki said the public hearing was chaired by Senate committee chairman and Kiambu Senator Kimani Wamatangi.
Njuki said members, who had resolved to go to court to stop the construction, decided to wait until the Senate releases its report and recommendations.
“We have shelved our decision to go to court and look for orders to stop the work until we are compensated,” he said.
“If the Senate report will not be favourable to us, we shall quickly move to court and stop the ongoing work.”
The affected landlords have properties between Kangemi and Kamandura, where there is an exchange to Maai Mahiu and another to Limuru road.
Emily Wanja closed her Regen retail shop after customers, who were tenants, left.
“I opened a chips shop in Kikuyu town since Regen and Kinoo area is not doing well. A lot of customers left, people vacated houses after they were marked for demolition. I too had to move,” she said.
Businessman Francis Kahura is servicing Sh234 million bank loans. He said he took loans to build two flats at Regen and Kinoo, but they were marked for demolition and tenants vacated.
“This is so sad and discouraging. We have a lot of untold stories about the challenges we face. We will not back off,” Njuki said.
