County to repossess 135 undeveloped Kakamega town plots

Governor Wycliffe Oparanya's administration plans to repossess 135 undeveloped plots in Kakamega town as it seeks to upgrade the town to a city.

The targeted plots were allocated to politicians, business people and companies. Some belong to senior government officials who have failed to develop them.

The county's Physical Planning Act requires that one commences development on a plot within 24 months of the lease, but most of the plots earmarked for repossession have remained undeveloped for more than 40 years.

The move could, however, trigger a flurry of litigations by owners. On Wednesday, the county asked affected plot owners to lodge their complaints with the Kakamega Land Appeals Committee between August 24 and September 7.

“Please attach or carry with you any relevant documents, including letter of allotment (where applicable), evidence of payment of allotment fee, duly signed and executed copy of lease documents from the commissions of Land/NLC, current search (where applicable), land rent and rates payment receipts and clearance certificates and copy of the approved building plans,” the county said in an advertisement in the local dailies.

The county government said on its website that documentation for some of the plots does not exist at the lands offices.

On January 30, the county government gave owners of undeveloped plots until February 1 to surrender them to the county or develop them.

The county government then listed more than 300 plots in the central business district and adjacent suburbs, which have been left undeveloped since they were allocated more than 30 years ago.

Oparanya is keen on upgrading Kakamega town to a city before his term ends in 2022 so it can attract more state benefits. The Kakamega municipality was established in the early 1970s, with infrastructure to sustain about 500 households. However, the population has grown, requiring expansion for better services.

Edited by P.O