Governor Waiguru receives title deed for repossessed 250 acres county land
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has received the title deed for a 250 acre piece of land that has been repossessed from a grabber and given back to the County Government.
While receiving the Thigirici land ownership document on Monday, Waiguru said that it was a significant moment for Kirinyaga County given that the land has come back to the public after a protracted court battle pitching the government and a private developer. She said that the public land which is in Ndia constituency had illegally ended up in the hands of an individual through collusion between the developer and some officers in the defunct local authority. “We have gone through a long process of litigation and finally we have the 250 acres in the name of the County Government, which means we can now go ahead and establish an industrial park as earmarked in the county’s development master plan.
The governor noted that the recovery was a milestone achievement since the industrial park will become a powerful manufacturing hub that will serve the county as well as the larger Mt. Kenya region. “The park will become the center of manufacturing and processing, spurring economic development through the industries and the supporting infrastructure such as hotels and real estate” said the governor noting that the development will have an overall massive economic impact on the wellbeing of county residents. She added that farmers from the county will have a wider market for their produce as well as additional incomes from value addition, adding that the industrial park will be strategically placed given that the land is just next to the Sagana Railway Station bearing in mind that the region’s railway transport system has now been revived.
At the same time, the governor warned anyone occupying public land to return it out of their own free will reiterating that the county government will ensure that all the land set for public use is repossessed for public use. Governor Waiguru concluded by highlighting that apart from the Thigirici land, the County Government has recovered more parcels of land including 200 acres in South Ngariama allocated for public utility including a university, a health facility and recreational areas.
At the same time she said that the process of issuing titles to the bonafide owners of the 17,000 acre South Ngariama land, some of which had been taken by fake allottees is underway.