We'll not pay for grabbed highway land, vows Swazuri

Twenty-one owners of prime property next to the Mombasa-Mariakani highway, which is scheduled for expansion, might not get any compensation.

This follows an announcement by the National Land Commission (NLC) that the land they occupy is owned by the national government.

Commission chairman Muhammad Swazuri launched talks on Tuesday with landowners along the Changamwe stretch of the highway.

Prof Swazuri warned that at least 21 parcels of land along the highway belonged to Government but were irregularly acquired by individuals.

He said the government acquired the land when it was building the road that is now earmarked for expansion and would not buy it a second time.

“The 21 property owners are likely to miss out on the compensation for parcels to be affected by the expansion of the highway into six lanes," he said, adding that any compensation for the land would amount to double payment.

"They acquired parcels already bought from other landowners by the Government when it was building the road,” said Swazuri at the Kenya School of Government in Mombasa.

He was at a meeting with landowners who will be affected by the multi-billion-shilling highway expansion project. Swazuri was accompanied by Commissioner Silas Muriithi  and other commission officials.

The expansion of the 41.7km stretch from the Changamwe roundabout to Mariakani is partly financed by the Africa Development Bank at Sh12.7 billion.

The commission will today tour Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) houses in Mbaraki. The houses are suspected to have been grabbed.

The commissioners will also tour Kilima Upepo in Shanzu, where the Court of Appeal ruled that the land currently occupied by squatters belongs to the Mombasa Technical Training Institute.

The highway is used to transport cargo from the port of Mombasa along the northern corridor.