Developers panic as NLC finalises land grabbing probe

Private developers owning grabbed land at Kibarani in Mombasa County have started selling them off even as the National Land Commission (NLC) completed its investigations on the controversial acquisition of the ocean land.

The grabbing of the public land has been under for the last one month following President Uhuru Kenyatta’s order.

On Thursday, a spot check by the Nation showed some of the properties having sign posts offering them for sale. One of the land offered for sale is 2.2 acres along the Makupa causeway.

The Mombasa County government has also put a public notice board warning against any development on the said land.

“This is a public access road, no private development is allowed,” reads the notice on the of Kibarani land.

REPORT

The completion of the probe will see wealthy developers who erected multibillion shilling properties on the grabbed parcels lose their properties.

The private developers grabbed the ocean land more than 10 years ago and invested on it, threatening the status of Mombasa Island.

Anxiety has gripped the wealthy developers following finalisation of the NLC report on land reclamation in Kibarani.

In an interview with the Nation, NLC acting chairperson Abigael Mbagaya said the report is ready.

“We are now set to meet as a commission to ratify and adopt it before we forward it to President Kenyatta and subsequently release it to the public in two weeks’ time,” Ms Mbagaya told the Nation.

The news has sent shock waves among the more than 30 developers who own tittle deeds of the Kibarani dumpsite, which is a long the Mombasa-Nairobi highway.

COMPANIES

Among those who were said to possess tittle deeds of the ocean land and were being probed over their controversial acquisition are owners of container freight stations who are linked to politicians.

Some of the companies that have heavily invested at Kibarani are Multiple ICD, Makupa Transit Shade, Civicon and Mitchell Cotts, all of which operate logistics and CFS businesses.

“I do not want to pre-empt anything about the report but people should know that ocean land will not be available for allocation. Really, that one cannot be allowed,” Ms Mbagaya said on Thursday.

Sources from two of the firms which were being investigated said their managements have gone into panic following the conclusion of the probe.

“No letters have been sent here over the matter but is what is being discussed. The bosses fear losing their investments,” said the source.

During its probe, the NLC summoned top government officials to explain why they gave licenses allowing the reclamation of ocean land.

The officials were from National Environment Management Authority, Kenya Forest Services and Kenya Ports Authority.