Report says Konza Techno City is in Machakos

Konza Techno City, whose location has been a subject of dispute between Machakos and Makueni counties, is indeed in Machakos County.

A Senate report on a ministerial statement on the demarcation of the Konza City boundary, and seen by The Standard, appears to have sealed the fate of the long-standing dispute between the two counties that have both been laying claim on the upcoming ICT city.

The Standing Committee on Lands and Natural Resources, chaired by Embu Senator Lenny Kivuti, which compiled the report, drew the conclusion in response to a statement sought by Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jnr in October 2013, who among other issues, wanted the chair to confirm whether Konza City is in Makueni County.

CURVED OUT

"This is to confirm that Konza City is indeed in Machakos County based on the boundary descriptions in the 1992 Districts and Provinces Act, of the former Machakos and Makueni districts which are now Machakos and Makueni counties respectively," reads the report in part.

According to the report, the 5,000-acre piece of land on which the Konza Techno City is being developed, falls within the then Machakos district, from which Makueni district was later curved out in 1992, leaving the Konza Techno City parcel on the Machakos side.

The 14-page report further invokes the 1987 Kenya Parliamentary Constituency Review order and Legal Notice Number 309, which placed Konza Techno City site in Machakos Town constituency.

The report says both the 1992 Districts and Provinces Administrative map of Kenya and the 1987 Parliamentary Constituencies map places the contested area under Machakos Town constituency and, therefore under Machakos County.

"From the above historical analysis, it is clear that the location of Konza Techno City is within Machakos County and is a consequence of historical, administrative and political developments, which cannot be attributed to mischief or ill intentions perpetuated by anybody either in the current or previous administrations," the report further reads.

However, Makueni residents are set to reap big from the upcoming city, as the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has prepared a local physical development plan, which has identified and designated a total of 14,700 hectares of land within Makueni County to be developed as part of the city development zone.

This will transform the county's fortunes.