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Nyeri governor to pocket Sh1 billion for his city apartments


Nyeri Governor Nderitu Gachagua is set to pocket nearly Sh1 billion as compensation for his land that the government is acquiring for the construction of Nairobi’s Southern Bypass.

The National Land Commission (NLC) on Friday made public through a Kenya Gazette notice its plan to acquire the 1.2-acre plot on which Mr Gachagua has built 80 apartments — making it one of the highest payments the government is set to make to acquire land for road construction.

COMPENSATE

The notice came a few months after the Environment and Land Court directed the government to compensate Mr Gachagua for the intended demolition of his property.

Mr Gachagua got the big relief after the court dismissed the government’s claim that the property marked for demolition had been built on the Southern Bypass reserve land.

Justice Mary Gitumbi had in February 2015 ruled that Mr Gachagua be compensated at the rate that is determined by the NLC should the forced takeover and demolition of the property take place.

“The petitioner is entitled to just compensation as may be determined by the National Land Commission for the suit property and the development that has been erected thereon should the respondents proceed with the entry into the suit property and demolition of the development thereon,” the judge ruled.

HEAVY PRICE

The impending mega compensation is the latest signal of the heavy price the State is paying for the chaos at the lands registry that has left it with no option but to spend billions of shilling to acquire the land it needs to develop public infrastructure.

The property located in Nairobi’s South C estate is registered under Vipingo Beach Resort Limited, a company in which Mr Gachagua has 89.94 per cent interest, according to information at the Registrar of Companies.

Read the full story here.

SOURCE: Business Daily