Garissa residents oppose digging of murram for Sh15b road from communal land
Resident of Nunow in Garissa at the site where Zhongmei Engineering Group Ltd is digging murram for the construction of the Sh15 billion Nunow-Modogashe road. They have objected to the excavation of the communal land before a mutual agreement is fully reached. PHOTO | ABDIMALIK HAJIR | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- They claimed the government had forcibly taken the community land.
- President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto commissioned the road last Saturday during their visit to the region.
- The President said the government was committed to build road networks to open up businesses in the region.
- Contacted for comment, the Garissa County commissioner said he was in a meeting and would get back to the media later.
The government has been given a seven-day ultimatum to stop excavating murram from a communal piece of land for the construction of the Sh15 billion Nunow-Modogashe road in Balambala Constituency of Garissa County before a mutual agreement is fully reached.
Through Ongoya and Wambola Advocates, the residents have given notice to sue the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) and the Attorney-General if their grievances are not addressed amicably.
The community spokespersons Ali Ismail Baraki, Mohamed Ali Ibrahim and Hussein Salat Gure said in their notice that they want to know the details, if any, of the environmental impact assessment, minutes of public hearing to approve the same and measures put in place to compensate community members who will be adversely affected by the activities of the land excavation process.
They claimed the government had forcibly taken the community land and brought in a Chinese company, Zhongmei Engineering Group Ltd, to dig deep trenches to get materials to construct roads in the area without considering environmental hazards.
LAND FORCIBLY TAKEN
“They have taken part of our land by force without compensation and have gone ahead to dig deep trenches, approximately 30 feet deep, without any warning sign or barrier around the area.
"As such, it is a threat to humans, our cattle and wildlife,” they said in the notice letter which they showed journalists at Nunow about 40km from Garissa Town.
“Take notice that if we do not hear from you regarding the foregoing details within seven (7) days of this letter, we have firm and unequivocal instructions to proceed to court and seek redress including stoppage of the ongoing construction of Nuno-Modogashe Road, so as to avert its irreparable impact to the environment and community, read the letter.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto commissioned the road last Saturday during their visit to the region.
The President said the government was committed to build road networks to open up businesses in the region.
VIOLATING LABOUR LAWS
Addressing journalists at the controversial site Wednesday, Mr Baraki warned Garissa County Commissioner James Kianda against intimidating locals who question the “illegal activities” in their surroundings.
He alleged that the Chinese company was violating labour laws because salaries of workers were channelled through chiefs who sack whoever questioned the procedure.
“As of now 10 people have been sacked and replaced,” Mr Baraki said.
He said the company is taking murram, which is the livelihood of the community, for free without consultations with the locals.
“The county commissioner should also stop intimidating us by having police officers around, we are only seeking justice about this and we will move to court,” he said.
When journalists visited the site, excavators were still digging murram as locals, many of them elders, stood around.
Contacted for comment, the Garissa County commissioner said he was in a meeting and would get back to the media later.
