Ex-commissioner accused of grabbing land as dispute deepens

Cabinet Secretary Felix Koskei      PHOTO: COURTESY

By NICHOLAS WAITATHU and ISAAC MESO

Nairobi, Kenya: A former land commissioner and private companies have been accused of grabbing 148 acres of government land in South B Estate, Nairobi.

The grabbed land is part of 223.2 acres owned by the Kenya Veterinary Vaccines Production Institute (Kevevapi) for its vaccine production in the country.

 Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Cabinet Secretary Felix Koskei last Friday accused private companies and former land officials of grabbing the land during a tour of the area.

“Out of the initial land, we are left with only 75 acres, which is not enough to undertake the vaccine production work,” he said. 

The parcels of land were originally grabbed by former land officials and companies who later sold them to the current owners.

The former land commissioner is accused of grabbing 4.07 hectares (land parcel 209/13296, which he later sold to another firm. 

Forceful eviction

Another company benefited with 67 acres but later sold the same land to National Social Security Fund (NSSF). NSSF later sold its parcel of land to other private developers.

Koskei stated that the institution has only been able to reclaim four acres through the High Court. He warned of forceful eviction if the current owners will not have surrendered back the parcels of land. 

But the investors  residing in the 75 acres alleged  to have been grabbed  from Kevevapi have refuted  the ministry’s claim, saying they legally obtained the land from NSSF.

Led by Chairman of Citizens for Protection of Natural Resources and Public Utilities Evans Aseto, they said that the investors bought the land from NSSF 10 years after it was gazetted for sale by the organisation.

Aseto noted that the land had not been grabbed as Koskei had earlier said and that the investors had genuine title deeds from the Government.

The chairman  said the  land initially belonged to NSSF, who then sold  it to various  developers  in 2003.