•The 172-km Kibwezi-Kitui-Migwani road that straddles Kitui South Constituency
•About 5000 land owners are crying foul as they claim there is no plan in place to compensate them
Image: Musembi Nzengu
About 5,000 land owners are crying foul over the failure to compensate them for land taken for tarmacking of the 172-kilometre Kibwezi-Kitui-Migwani road.
Local politicians and the elite from Kitui South Constituency visited Ukambani political kingpin Kalonzo Musyoka and asked him to intervene.
“Yes people are suffering. They were allocated land by the defunct Kitui County Council and put up shops and other structures for income, only for the buildings to be brought down without anyone talking of compensation,” said the landowners spokesman Micheal Kivoto on Sunday.
Kivoto said that some of the people affected by demolitions have gone to court to seek justice.
“But there are majority of poor land and plot owners who could not afford lawyers’ fees. That prompted local leaders to seek audience with Kalonzo Musyoka before he left the country for an overseas trip. It was a big delegation including notable politicians,” said Kivoto.
He said the delegation of 26 persons that met Kalonzo explained some of those affected by demolition had sunk into depression and the only way to help them out was to ensure they were compensated.
“In the high-powered delegation were notable local politicians and former MP Isaak Muoki, Samuel Kiminza and Mwangu Ivuti. Also present was former deputy commissioner of prisons Daniel Mutua, who is aspiring for the Kitui South seat in 2022,” said Kivoto.
He said the team, which also donated 50 bales of maize meal, 1000 face masks, cooking oil and bar soaps to the Kalonzo Musyoka Foundation, also sought to have Kalonzo intervene to have a section of Voo Ward that went to Kitui East retuned to Kitui south constituency.
“During our visit, Hon Kalonzo Musyoka said he was concerned about the failure to compensate land owners who gave up their land for the Kibwezi-Kitui road and he would seek audience with President Kenyatta over the matter,” said Kivoto.
Addressing a Kitui professionals meeting that was convened by Ngilu last weekend, Kalonzo expressed concern over wide spread complaint that majority people who lost their land and buildings to the Kibwezi-Kitui road project were not being compensated.
He said although the tarmacking of road had brought good tidings for locals, the project should not be seen to impoverish residents by failing to compensate them for land and any structures that were demolished.