National Youth Service levelling, fencing reclaimed Langata Road Primary School field

Nairobi, Kenya: Tens of National Youth Service personnel landed at the Langata Road Primary school playground ready to level and fence it.

The move follows an order from President Uhuru Kenyatta that the personnel be sent there Wednesday to help in levelling the field for the children to play.

The personnel arrived with caterpillars and started the work with a crowd watching from a distance. They told journalists that they had instructions to ensure the field was cleared for the children to play.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery visited the school Tuesday and offered a personal apology to the pupils, who were tear-gassed by police during a demonstration to reclaim their playground from a private developer.

He also declared the land belongs to the school and gave the developer 24 hours to clear the construction materials from the site.

The grabber had not collected the materials by the time the NYS tractors drove in at about 6.30 am.

Nkaissery said he was at the school to apologise to the pupils on behalf of the government and police as he assured the school that the land will be reverted to them.

“I was shocked to see how police officers threw tear gas at the Lang'ata pupils. I offer my apology to the pupils for what happened here and assure the school that the land is theirs. We are giving the developer until tomorrow (Wednesday) to collect his bricks because the ground will be levelled on Thursday to allow the children play there,” said the minister.

The incident drew condemnation from local and international quarters.

President Kenyatta lambasted officials in the Ministry of Lands, the National Land Commission and the police following the incident.

Also put on the spot was the headmaster of the school for allowing the pupils to demolish a perimeter wall around the contentious piece of land on Monday.

“The headmaster should also answer a couple of questions. How do you allow your students to go and demolish walls… what if that wall fell on those children?” Kenyatta posed.

He said government officials must take responsibility for their actions

“It is deplorable in the manner in which the police handled those young children and indeed action will be taken against the officers responsible. But what is more disappointing is the fact that we even had to get to that level. Where was the Ministry of Lands… where was the National Land Commission. Why did they not resolve this problem; What were they doing?” he continued.

He said the issue had been in the public domain since last year and wondered why it took until Monday for officials to come out strongly to declare that the land belonged to the school.

Top government officials led by Nkaissery (Interior), Charity Ngilu (Lands), National Land Commission Chairman Muhamad Swazuri, Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero, Education PS Richard Belio Kipsang and area MP Ken Okoth trooped to the school to assure them that the land belongs to the school.

The directors of the company claiming ownership of the land remained a mystery.

Demonstrations on the land turned violent Monday at the school when police teargased protesters including school children.

Lang’ata OCPD Elijah Mwangi, who led the assault on the children, has been suspended to allow investigations into the incident.