Protesters yesterday tasked ODM leader Raila Odinga to be clear on claims that previous owners of land meant for a mega State project had not been paid.
The protesters, waving placards, objected to the establishment of an industrial park in Ombeyi, claiming they were being forcefully evicted from the land to pave way for the Standard Gauge Railway feasibility project.
They claimed the Government did not consult them about the project even as the Deputy Governor Mathews Owili explained that the 500-acre parcel had been procedurally acquired.
The land, they said, was ancestral and given to the Kisumu Municipal Council in the 1980s. They wanted compensation before the project could begin.
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The disquiet was contained in minutes. “Idle land is not wealth, you need capital, which we are bringing here today in the name of an industrial park, which once completed will tremendously unlock the region’s potential," Raila said. "It beats sense to protest for compensation when we are talking of a project that will change lives of millions.”
He clarified that no Government project could sideline those laying claim to the land.
Raila was with Petroleum CS John Munyes, Peter Munya (Industrialization) and James Macharia (Transport) on an inspection tour of state projects expected to woo China into financing the SGR extension to Kisumu.
