This archive report was first published on 27 June 2021.
Published on June 27, 2021, a report by the Nation highlighted a silent war between the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) and the National Lands Commission (NLC) over the compensation of a 17-acre parcel of land for the Nairobi Expressway construction.
The dispute, valued at Ksh2.1 billion, began when KeNHA boss Peter Mundinia claimed that NLC had released funds for compensation of the parcel, which he alleged was owned by the public.
However, NLC boss Tache Kabale-Arero denied making any payment, stating that the commission had spotted anomalies and frozen the payment.
KeNHA had submitted 81 parcels for acquisition, but after conducting its own checks, NLC discovered that 17 were already owned by the public.
"The commission requests you to review this information with a view of making amendments to the land acquisition plans and parcel list submitted to the commission," Tache wrote in a letter to KeNHA.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has vowed to conduct independent research to uncover the truth behind the compensation games.
"The spotlight is on KeNHA. It must explain the circumstances under which it submitted to NLC a list of parcels of land that includes land that lies on the road reserve," stated PAC Chair Opiyo Wandayi.
