Muthama seeks to block Machakos city launch

By Lucianne Limo

Nairobi, Kenya: Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama has moved to court seeking to stop President Uhuru Kenyatta from launching the new Machakos city.

Muthama, through his lawyer John Khaminwa, Thursday filed a certificate of urgency to stop the launching of the new city on grounds that part of the land the project is supposed to be constructed on does not belong to Machakos County but the Ministry of Agriculture.

Muthama has named Machakos County Government as respondent and the Agriculture Ministry as interested party.

Muthama has accused the Machakos County for excising land measuring approximately 4000 acres which he alleged, has been earmarked to be allocated for free as an incentive to potential investors in the county.

“The County has set aside 4000 acres of land belonging to the Ministry of Agriculture and specifically to veterinary services department measuring 1420 acres  known as Machakos veterinary Farm and sought to take over the said land without consultation with the central government, “said Muthama.

The Senator wants the court to stop Governor Alfred Mutua from excising the land belonging to the Agriculture ministry for its own use and giving it away for free to potential investors in the new Machakos City investment programme.

The Machakos city investment programme involves investment in real estate, tourism, hotels, health, ICT, education, trade, water, transport, banking among other investments.

Muthama argued that the Ministry of Agriculture has not agreed with Machakos County take over any of its land wherever it is situated and therefore the land cannot be free as earlier claimed by Mutua.

He further said the Ministry had commissioned a survey work on the disputed land to be conducted so as to protect it from encroachment and excision which has been completed and application for title has been lodged.

“The manner in which the whole process has been hurriedly conducted is suspect and leaves a lot to be desired, “he added.

The Senator said Mutua cannot be taking up measures to improve the welfare of the Machakos people in a manner that is so arbitrary and in violation of the proprietary rights of the same people.

He claimed that there is no published impact assessment report on the intended project and every concerned citizen has been kept in the darkness about the whole venture.