Kajiado Governor Joseph Lenku on Sunday called off a press conference in which he was to respond to Tata Chemicals Ltd’s demolition of county property.
The multinational soda ash mining company is embroiled in row with the county government over disputed Sh17 billion land rates.
On Saturday, the firm demolished "illegal structures" it claimed was put up by the county government on "its land".
“We have a court order we got on January 3, and which prohibits the county government from encroaching on our land,” said one board member.
Justice Reuben Nyakundi on January 31 at the High Court in Kajiado stopped the county from encroaching on Tata Chemicals "land" in Magadi.
The court also gave an injunction against the county stopping it from demanding payment of the rates until a petition case pending in the same court is heard ex-parte and fully determined.
Lenku, who had planned to brief journalists at Galaxy Hotel in Kitengela, instead sent his Lands executive Hamilton Parseina to give his apology.
Parseina said he would not comment on the matter because the Governor was consulting with stakeholders.
He, however, termed the demolition aggression.
“This is not the way things should be done because we have an open door policy with all our investors. We were constructing our ward offices and already work had started before Tata brought in bulldozers,” Parseina said.
“The governor was scheduled to address you on this matter today but because of the high-level consultations taking place, he opted to call off the press briefing."
Earlier on, members of the Iloodokilani community led by former MCA, Charles Lekanet,
held protests in Kitengela to condemn Tata Chemicals' action.
Lekanet told the managers of the company to respect the Governor and to pay land rates due to the county government.