Parkland MCA Jayendra Malde says that anti-graft agencies have been ignoring his complaints over grabbed Ksh2 billion land that was meant for construction of a health facility.
In a Facebook post on July 10, Malde said that he was contemplating on resigning, after he all efforts to reclaim the land bore no fruits, even as the grabber continued constructing a residential apartment on the land.
“I am ready to resign as the MCA of Parklands Highridge ward. I have fought for the Highridge clinic every single day and yet construction is going on,” he wrote.
In letters seen by Kahawa Tungu, the MCA addressed the issue with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in September 2019.
Read: Nairobi Metropolitan Boss Badi Stops Construction On Alleged Grabbed Public Land
“It has come to my knowledge that the property has been occupied and controlled by a third party for personal use and gain. There is an ongoing construction of residential apartments on government land,” he wrote in the letters.
Yesterday, workers at he construction site had to flee after Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) Director-General Mohamed Badi made an impromptu visit to the site donning his full military regalia.
General Badi announced that the land had been reclaimed, and that a health facility would built on the land.
Badi arrived at the site accompanied with the area MCA Jayendra Malde, Westlands MP Timothy Wanyonyi and several police officers.
Read: 800 Homes To Be Demolished As Gov’t Moves To Recover Stolen Ngong Forest Land
In August 2018, Nairobi governor Mike Sonko announced repossession of the same land from cartels, but works resumed on the land last year.
“As promised, we will not spare anyone in this campaign aimed at restoring to the public what belongs to them,” Sonko said in 2018.
It was reported that the land was sold to an ‘innocent’ buyer by the grabbers, but the governor did not disclose what measures had been taken to ward off the cartels from coming back.
Last year, Kahawa Tungu reported that private developers had gone back to the land, but the authorities gave it a deaf ear.
Read: ‘Grabbers’ Back At Highridge Health Centre Land, Months After Governor Sonko Announced Repossession
The wrangle for the parcel of land started as early as February 2011 when the then Lands Minister James Orengo cancelled the title deed issued to a private developer for the piece of land. The land is on the spot where the demolished Highridge Health Centre stood in Parklands.
“The title here said that the land and buildings shall only be used for the purpose of a clinic and no person shall reside on the land. It also said that the guarantee of this land shall not subdivide it and most importantly, he shall not sell, sub-let or part with the possession of the land or any part thereof,” said Orengo.
The then Minister of Local Government Musalia Mudavadi instructed the City Council of Nairobi not to approve building plans by anyone who wanted to build on the controversial piece of land.
Mr Mudavadi further called on the council to set aside some funds to assist in the rebuilding of the clinic.
“There is no one who has been given permission to build here and no plans should be approved by City Hall. As an emergency measure I am asking the Mayor together with the Finance Planning Committee to set aside some funds to assist in the rebuilding of the centre so that it can resume its services,” he said.
The reason why reconstruction of the hospital have never started is still unclear, and whether the private developer has the approvals for construction is still opaque.
Grabbers are also said to have invaded North Ridge Primary School in Parklands and grabbed part of the school’s land.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@kahawatungu.com or WhatsApp +254707482874. You can also find us on Telegram through www.t.me/kahawatungu
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
