Konza City is in Makueni, leaders claim

By DANIEL NZIA

Kenya: The confirmation by Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu that the Konza Techno City is in Machakos County has attracted the wrath of Makueni County leadership.

Leaders in the county Saturday said they read mischief in the minister’s assertion that the land, which hosts the proposed ultra-modern ICT city is in Machakos.

The leaders, who spoke to The Standard on Sunday separately, vowed to have the matter addressed further. Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana, Senator Mutula Kilonzo Junior, MPs Kisoi Munyao (Mbooni) and his Kilome counterpart Regina Ndambuki expressed their shock at the minister’s pronouncement.

“The matter is becoming sickening. Any one who cares to know, knows too well that the Konza Techno City is in Makueni County,” said Prof Kibwana.

The governor said Makueni leadership is taking offence in the matter because “what Ngilu has done is tantamount to inciting the people of Machakos against Makueni”.

“May be she is being used by certain forces to kill the proposed project. All these strategies are bad strategies,” said Kibwana.

The Governor recalled attempts by authorities earlier to change boundaries after the 1992 Districts and Provinces Act adding the minister may be acting out of such failed moves. Mutula Jnr said he read mischief in Ngilu’s declaration. He was categorical that Konza Techno City land is in Makueni County and not Machakos.

“I want to state in no uncertain terms that Malili belongs to Makueni County, period,” declared Kisoi, adding elected leaders will do everything possible to resist the move to have the city in Machakos.

The MP, however, threw his weight behind Ngilu’s efforts to “clean” the Lands registry, saying those opposed to her agenda are “masters of impunity and sympathisers of corruption”.  Ndambuki told Ngilu off over the matter, saying it could brew animosity between residents of the two counties.

“This is total nonsense. All land transactions regarding the land on which the city stands were done in Makueni,” she told The Standard on Sunday, adding she will lead a demonstration to block the busy Mombasa road at the site today to protest the move.

They were reacting to Ngilu’s response letter to enquiries by Senator Kilonzo Junior about the location of the city in which she stated the land is in Machakos County.

“….this is to confirm that Konza Techno City is in Machakos County based on the boundary description in the Districts and Provinces Act Cap 105 of the laws of Kenya for the former Machakos and Makueni districts which are now Machakos and Makueni Counties respectively”, read part of the letter to the Senator dated April 1.