Name Lang'ata school land grabber, Nkaissery urges Ngilu, Swazuri

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery (left) and European Parliamentarians with Africa political coordinator Alain Destexhe at the Laico Regency Hotel on January 21, 2015. Mr Nkaissery urged Mrs Ngilu and Dr Swazuri to name the alleged grabber of the Lang'ata Road Primary School playground. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Maj-Gen (Rtd) Nkaissery revealed that he had ordered the use of the National Youth Service to clear the compound Wednesday.
  • He said the two were likely to face unspecified action from the Head of State if they did not make public the individual(s) who wanted to grab the piece of land.
  • Later, a statement from the Interior ministry clarified that Nkaissery only wanted Mrs Ngilu and Dr Swazuri to use their offices to unearth the grabbers.
  • The spokesman, Mwenda Njoka, indicated that Mr Nkaissery did not intend to give the duo an ultimatum.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery has asked Lands colleague Charity Ngilu and National Land Commission (NLC) chairman Mohammed Swazuri to name the alleged grabber of a public school's land in Lang’ata before the end of Thursday.

He said President Kenyatta would take action against them if they failed to do so by then.

Maj-Gen (Rtd) Nkaissery, who revealed that he had ordered the use of the National Youth Service to clear the compound Wednesday, said the two were likely to face unspecified action from the Head of State if they did not make public the individual(s) who wanted to grab the piece of land.

“I want to tell my colleague Honourable (Charity) Ngilu and the chairman of the land commission to ensure that they tell Kenyans by today or by tomorrow who are the owners of the Lang'ata land,” said Mr Nkaissery.

He spoke after he opened the Forum of Parliaments of Member States of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region at the Laico Regency Hotel in Nairobi.

“We want to know who tried to grab the land and they must come out quite clearly. If they really know the people, they should tell the public.

“The National Youth Service are clearing as I promised. If Ngilu and Swazuri fail, there are consequences. I am not their employer, but there are consequences,” said the CS, who represented the President at the function.

USE THEIR OFFICES

However, the Ministry of Interior quickly sent a statement to clarify the remarks made by the CS, who was appointed one month ago to take over from Mr Joseph ole Lenku.

The statement sent by the ministry’s spokesman, Mwenda Njoka, said the CS wanted Ms Ngilu and Dr Swazuri to use their offices to tell Kenyans who the alleged grabber was.

“The CS indicated that Kenyans are anxious to know the identity of the grabbers and requested fellow Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu (Lands, Housing and Urban Development) and the Chairman of the National Land Commission Dr Mohammed Swazuri to use their offices to provide Kenyans with this information,” said Mr Njoka.

The spokesman indicated that Mr Nkaissery did not intend to give the duo an ultimatum.

“Nkaissery’s remarks were in no way intended to be an ultimatum and should not be quoted as such. His remarks were a request from one cabinet secretary to another,” he said.