Uhuru Kenyatta directs Swazuri to stop Kibarani allocations

President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed the National Land Commission to revoke Kibarani dumpsite land allocation to private developers.

Instead, Mr Kenyatta ordered the land to be given back to the Mombasa County government.

Further, the Head of State said the dumpsite should be decommissioned and used for the development of recreational facilities as part of the ongoing efforts to reposition Mombasa as a top tourism destination in the region.

Mr Kenyatta’s directive on Kibarani land comes amid a tussle between different national government agencies and the Mombasa County government over wanton reclamation of the Indian Ocean at the Makupa Causeway.

The National Assembly’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee blamed the National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) and Mombasa County for the grabbing of sea land.

The members of the committee said some 500m² of the Indian Ocean has been grabbed by two companies under the watch of the county government, putting Mombasa at the risk of seizing to be an island.

The dumpsite was shut down by Governor Joho a month ago, however the waste is being dumped into the sea. The area is set to be turned into a recreational park.

The President also agreed to a request for a regeneration plan for the Coastal city, a plan that was mooted by Cabinet secretaries Najib Balala (Tourism), Mr Keriako Tobiko (Environment), and Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho.

The plan will be modelled after a programme launched in Nairobi.

The Nairobi regeneration programme is an intergovernmental initiative in which the county and national governments are working together to enhance infrastructure and service delivery in the city.