Kilifi County referral hospital land has been grabbed, Governor Amason Kingi says

Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi

Governor Amason Kingi has said land grabbers are out to take land meant for expansion of the Kilifi County Referral Hospital.

This has in effect put on hold plans to put up an intensive care unit and oxygen cylinder filling plant, for which the governor said Sh105 million had already been set aside.

"My administration has budgeted Sh60 million to construct the intensive care unit and Sh45 million for the oxygen cylinder refilling plant," he said.

Mr Kingi, however, insisted the planned land grabbing will not succeed as his administration is alert and ready to block such attempts.

"Reports reaching me say that the grabbers have either already been issued with title deeds or are in the process of being issued with the same," he said.

He asked those who may already have been allocated land irregularly to surrender it to the county government.

The governor was speaking during the launch of the tarmacking of the 5.8 kilometre feeder roads within Kilifi town.

He vowed to mobilise residents to destroy any commercial buildings put up by the private developer on the hospital land.

"I will not sit back and watch land reserved for the hospital get grabbed. I will stand firm and ensure any building that will be put up on the grabbed land is demolished," Kingi said.

The governor said there has been an increase in cases of land grabbing especially for land earmarked for construction of public amenities like hospitals and markets.

He noted that some had grabbed land meant for construction of a modern market at Mariakani and blamed former county council officials for the grabbing.

Earlier, the governor had said officials of the defunct councils had colluded with land grabbers and sold off public utility lands.

Kingi said his administration has put in place development programmes for the referral hospital and said more land will be required.

He said a modern mortuary block will be constructed at the hospital to ensure proper preservation of bodies.

He said the hospital currently does not have a good mortuary, adding that funds have been set aside to ensure the project takes off soon.