Land documents delay Eldoret by-pass payouts

Lack of property identification documents has reportedly delayed the release Sh367million to compensate land owners moved to pave the way for construction of the Sh6 billion Eldoret by-pass.

The National Land Commission (NLC’s) acting director in-charge of Valuation and Taxation, Fidelis Mburu, blamed the delay on lack of proper land documents.

This comes even as land owners on Wednesday threatened to move to court by June 30 to halt the multi-billion project should there be further delay in compensation.

“We have not been able release Sh367m in time because some of the individuals did not have proper documents. We will release the money within the next three weeks and pay those with tittle deeds as well as those who have land sale agreements so long as they have been stamped by a lawyer,” he disclosed during a public meeting with residents displaced for the project at Kapseret.

Uasin-Gishu County Commissioner Hassan Abdi noted that 199 people in the Leseru-Kapseret-Cheplaskei corridor have been paid Sh153 million amid claims that a fake list of individuals had been presented. Some 1,025 land owners are expected to be paid Sh4.2 billion.

“There is no room for corruption in this project. We will deal with any individual who wants to get compensation yet does not own land. Already we looking for seven individuals who were paid irregularly in the first phase,” he said.

President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the project in 2017 and it was expected to be completed by August, next year, to ease traffic snarl-ups in Eldoret town’s Central Business District.

Truck drivers who transport goods on the route to neighbouring countries have complained over the slow pace at which the by-pass project is being undertaken.

Last month, Mr Abdi said most residents had not been compensated despite the millions of shillings transferred to NLC seven months ago.

The by-pass which is funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) in conjunction with the Government stalled at Maili Tisa on the Eldoret- Bungoma and Kitale highway.