• Naivasha subcounty commissioner Mbogo Mathioya said the land set aside for the park and dry port had been secured.
• He said that last month, his office and the department of Lands fast-tracked the issuance of a title deed for the 1,000 acres
The government has processed a title deed for the 1,000 acres set aside for the dry port in Naivasha following reports that some people were illegally selling the land.
Naivasha subcounty commissioner Mbogo Mathioya said the land set aside for the park and dry port had been secured.
He said that last month, his office and the department of Lands fast-tracked the issuance of a title deed for the 1,000 acres.
“We have been informed of some people trying to illegally sell part of Kedong ranch but we can assure investors that the 1,000 acres set aside for the dry port are intact,” he said.
The move comes after the management of Kedong ranch where the industrial park will be located also placed a caveat around the land located in Nakuru and Narok counties.
Speaking in his office on Monday, the administrator said that the process of resettling tens of families which will be displaced by the port had started.
Mbogo said that Kedong had donated 4,000 acres which will be shared among the affected families and also host schools and other public amenities.
“The real number of the persons affected by this project is still a source of debate but we are working with the community leaders to address this issue,” he said.
A Maasai elder Joseph Ole Kishau said that over 5,000 people would be displaced by the dry port and the industrial park.
He was quick to add that talks were going on adding that the community fully backed the multi-billion project that would transform the area.
“Tens of families will be affected by the project and some schools will be brought down and we shall first negotiate with the state before the relocation,” he said.
Earlier, Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui hailed the move by the Cabinet to allocate Sh6.8 billion towards the construction of the dry port.
Already the government has gazetted the area as a special economic zone where industries will be set up with the second phase of the Standard Gauge Railway already terminating in the lakeside town.
According to Kinyanjui, the move marked a critical milestone in the journey towards value addition and more employment opportunities for Nakuru residents.
“We have also been engaging with potential investors, both local and international, to invest in the industrial park and the response has been overwhelming”, he said.
(edited by O. Owino)