KNH digs in for Sh4.2bn link road compensation

Kenya’s biggest referral hospital is digging in for Sh4.2 billion in compensation for the land taken up by Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura) three years ago for the construction of Hospital Road and Mbagathi Way link road.

A report by the parliamentary Departmental Committee on Health on the status of the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) tabled in Parliament on May 9 shows that the institution has not received any compensation for the seven acres of land it gave up.

The institution was to be paid through the National Land Commission (NLC). The hospital’s acting chief executive Evanson Kamuri confirmed that they are still following up on the payment and that the management reached out to Kura to no avail.

“KNH is yet to receive any compensation to date, but last week we wrote to Kura following up on the same. We have not received any response from them and NLC is also mum regarding the matter,” Dr Kamuri said.

Auditor-General Edward Ouko in a report last year said Kura had acquired the parcel through Gazette Notice No 9340 of December 18, 2016 and 6441 of August 2016.

KNH’s internal valuation had placed the value of the land at Sh4.2 billion. However, Mr Ouko noted that available information indicated that Kura was to pay compensation of Sh1.8 million for the portion of land, an indicator that the true figure for settlement had not been agreed on.

Kura was on record earlier in the year saying that compensation could not be made since entities involved were all run by the government and that the land was vacant, with no structures.