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Workers from China Road and Bridge Corporation work on a section of the 24km railway line from Mai Mahiu Industrial Park to Longonot in Naivasha. Over 700 families that have been affected by the railway are yet to be compensated and have threatened to go to court. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]
The 24-kilometer railway line from Mai Mahiu Industrial Park to Longonot town in Naivasha was supposed to be a game-changer for residents of the semi-arid area of Mai Mahiu.
But the Sh3.5 billion railway line that is currently under construction has turned out to be a thorn-in-the-flesh for residents, the majority of whom are peasant farmers.
With over 700 families affected by the project, the contractor has begun the work taking over tens of acres without their consent or compensation.
Following the move, the affected families who met in the area threatened to head to court to stop the project raising fears that the works on the railway line could be delayed.
According to one of the affected farmers Joseph Muiruri, the blame lay with Kenya Railways that was undertaking the project and the National Land Commission (NLC).
He noted that the contractor China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) had already started works on their farms without consultation.
“The Chinese contractor is already in our farms yet we have not had any negotiations on compensation and we shall go to court to block this exercise,” he said on Tuesday.
He said that over 700 families along the corridor had been affected, adding that some of the affected farmers were being coerced to sign consent forms by the government officers.
This was echoed by Scolastica Waceke who said that the railway line was passing in the middle of their farm and a grave belonging to their late mother.
She added that they fully backed the capital project but called on those concerned to follow the law by first engaging the landowners.
“We are being bullied by the government officers who ordered us to dig-up the remains of our late mother and dispose them elsewhere,” she said amid tears.
Another farmer Francis Kariuki said that they had legal documents proving ownership of the land but this had been ignored by the contractor.
He told of their fears that they could lose on compensation as no valuation had been done with works ongoing despite their protest.
“Already our crops have been destroyed by the contractor while our houses face demolition and we are calling on the President to intervene,” he said.
Speaking earlier, a senior officer from Kenya Railways Jonathan Kirwa said that of the 24kms line, they had only acquired 4kms where the work was currently ongoing.
“We have held meetings with the affected farmers and the National Land Commission is undertaking the compensation process,” he said.
The Standard Group Plc is a multi-media organization
with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper print operations,
television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The Standard Group
is recognized as a leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key influence in
matters of national and international interest.
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