Kiambu,
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
KNA by Xavier Brian
The Department of Lands, Housing and Planning Kiambu, in conjunction with National Land Council (NLC), Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is set to carry out an inventory of all public land in the county.
This has been occasioned by the need to clean data and harmonise information collected to finalise and execute the implementation plan for the accounting and safe-guarding of public land which has been preyed on by individuals and cartels.
During a three-day workshop organised by the lands department Deputy Director Land Survey and Geo-Informatics Isaac Kinuthia said that the session is a continuation of previous collaboration on documenting and inventorying public lands after the County’s administration received several complaints from the public and other institutions on grabbed land dating back to January 15 last year.
“Today’s exercise will be focused majorly on Gatundu North and South, Kabete, Lari, and Limuru sub-counties” Kinuthia said.
Clarifying that the multi-agency committee also seeks to undertake and determine disputes relating to public land, he confirmed that some legitimate land holders in Kabete sub-county have already been compensated while grabbed parcels have been recovered.
“In Wangige, Kabete an untitled 0.21 acres of grabbed Government land has already been recovered along with some others”, Kinuthia said
He also affirmed that the County Government will reimburse individuals or organizations whose land has been taken up for development purposes, citing a case in Ndurarua, Kabete sub-county where the Ndurarua ECDE primary school gave 1 acre land as compensation to the ACK church whose land it initially belonged to.
In attendance were representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), National Land Council (NLC), County Land administrators and all Sub County surveyors.
Early last year Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi reiterated his stand on protection of public land by joining forces with the National Land Council and the DCI to reclaim illegally acquired land. He said that roughly 720 acres of land with an approximate value of Sh40 billion has been flagged as public land. This he said was stalling development projects in the area.