The State Department of Housing will build 15,000 units on the 53-acre Kenya Meteorological Department property recovered from private developers.
The phased development will be part of a wide range of the Mukuru slum upgrading programme, according to Principal Secretary Charles Hinga.
The recovered land is in Industrial Area, off Mombasa Road, in the neighbourhood of the Mukuru informal settlements.
Hinga said in an advertisement in one of the dailies that the project is intended to provide decent housing and associated physical and social infrastructure for the Mukuru slums residents.
The Tuesday advertisement said an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the project has been initiated in line with the Environmental Management and Coordination Act.
“Once the ESIA report is finalised, it shall be submitted to National Environment Management Authority for review before project implementation can commence,” the advert said in part.
Last month, Hinga said the 15,000 units set for Mukuru would be under the Kenya Slum Upgrading Programme.
"I already have Sh2.3 billion in my bank account for horizontal infrastructure. We will also be putting up schools, hospitals in Mukuru,” he said via weblink.
The recovery of the Sh5 billion Meteorological Department land was initiated in 2009 by anti-graft agency Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.
The agency went to court and, in a consolidated judgment, Justice Elijah Obaga said it was clear the land was acquired illegally.
EACC head of corporate communications Phillip Kagucia said on August 3 that the land had been subdivided into five portions and title deeds issued to five companies.
It had been illegally given out by public officials and alienated to Beacon Towers Limited, Varun Industrial Credit Limited, Hillbrow Properties Limited, Pamba Properties Limited and Brentwood Traders Limited.
In his ruling, Justice Obaga said that former Commissioner of Lands Wilson Gachanja had no authority to alienate government land for industrial use. Such power was a preserve of the President.
Varun Industrial Credit Limited had been allocated 15.4 acres, Hillbrow Properties Limited 9.87 acres, Pamba Properties Limited 7.33 acres, Brentwood Traders Limited 9.03 acres and Beacon Towers Limited 11.6 acres.
They were issued with titles on December 10, 2008.
Justice Obaga, who visited the land on June 29, barred the companies from trespassing on the property.
At the incorporation of the five companies between May 1995 and September 1997, there were two shareholders - Kantibhai Maganbahai Patel with 99 shares and Harish Ashabhai Patel with one share.
A third director - Pritibala Shah - is the daughter of Kantibhai, who died in December 2007.
On the property are two blocks of houses for eight Met department employees.
The Met used to relay vital safety information to sea vessels and aircraft from its Industrial Area property where it had 14 transmission masts, underground cables, a transmission station and a generator room.
Justice Obaga ruled that no person or company can occupy over 50 acres of government department land claiming to be an innocent investor.
According to the EACC, the development plan used to allocate the land to the five companies was only signed by the Commissioner of Lands contrary to procedure.
There was no presidential approval obtained prior to the alienation.
- mwaniki fm
