Natembeya assures landowners on payments

Rift Valley Regional coordinator George Natembeya. [Standard]

The Government has pledged to pay landowners who surrendered their property to allow construction of the Sh5 billion Cheplaskei-Maili Tisa road.

The landowners under the Cheplaskei-Maili Tisa Self Help Group have been holding protests demanding compensation for their land.

“We have not been able to pay school fees for our children as well as other utility bills because the land, which was our main source of income, has been acquired by the State without compensation,” said group chairman Simon Samoei.

According to Mr Samoei, 199 out of 1,025 landowners have been paid as the rest continue to wait for compensation. The 199 received Sh153 million with all those affected expected to eventually receive Sh4.2 billion.

Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya yesterday told The Standard that the compensation exercise was being hastened.

“There has been a delay in payment, but the Government is working round the clock to sort out the issue. Already, some families have received their payments and those yet to be compensated will soon get their dues,” Mr Natembeya said.

President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned the construction of the 32.9-kilometre bypass in August 2017. The road is expected to be completed in 2021.

The project that is funded by the African Development Bank seeks to ease traffic congestion in Eldoret town. 

At the same time, Natembeya said work on the Sh1.2 billion Kipkaren water project was progressing as scheduled, adding that once completed, the project will produce 24 million litres of water daily and resolve the scarcity problem.