Kiambu leaders have asked the DCI to probe the people behind overvaluation of land for construction of the Sh24 billion Karimenu II Dam.
Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu and others want those demanding higher compensation than merited to be than the actual value of their land investigated.
The Karimenu II Dam Water Supply Project is being funded by the China Exim bank and the national government. The dam will be 59 metres deep with a capacity of 26.5 million cubic metres.
Construction as been delayed following claims of overvaluation.Water CS Simon Chelugui said the initial budget was Sh527 million for 140-acre priority area.
However, the budget increased to Sh1.8 billion. It has since been reduced to Sh892 million. Speaking at a forum at Sarova Panafric Hotel yesterday, the county leaders unanimously supported the project.
The 246 families affected must be compensated, the leaders told the Water CS. Chelugui cited a case in which a person wanted to be compensated Sh117 million for one and a half acres.
The Athi Water Services Board had recommended the owner be paid Sh30 million.
“One of the issues was exaggeration of the value of items on the land, which was higher than that in the inquiry,” the CS said. Chelugui said they have re-validated the figures and they now have a new number.
The inconsistencies are what Kiambu county leaders want probed. The leaders present at the meeting included were MPs Moses Kuria (Gatundu South), Kimani Ichung’wah (Kikuyu), Annie Wanjiku (Gatundu North), Wamuchomba Gathoni (Kiambu), Peter Mwathi (Limuru) and Jonah Mburu(Lari) were present.
Cecile Mbarire and Kareke Mbiuki also attended the meeting.
Governor Waititu said 40 per cent of Kiambu residents don’t have clean piped water, yet 50 per cent of the county’s water goes to Nairobi.
He said he does not want more than 1,500 people set to be displaced by the project to become beggars.
“We have negotiated for a piece of land that will be used to compensate them,” he said. However, leaders from the county disagreed with him.
Wanjiku accused the Naitonal Land Commission of not engaging area leaders, saying the elephant in the room was valuation.
“If the 46 families with issues was a scam, let the DPP investigate,” she said.
Kuria said there is need to have independent valuers in place to provide oversight to the NLC.
Ichung’wah said the NLC is a big disappointment following issues raised about questionable SGR land compensation. Chelugui called all leaders for meeting to tackle issues they raised. He said his ministry aims for 80 per cent water access by 2022 and 100 per cent by 2030.
To attain universal access by 2030, the country must invest Sh1.754 trillion. This means that every year the sector needs Sh100 billion, of which only Sh45 billion is available largely through donor funding.