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Sonko forms crack team to fight land grabbing cartels


Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has established a team to fight land grabbing cartels in the capital.

The team’s mandate will be to prevent grabbing and repossess county land that has ended up into private ownership.

Governor Sonko said the war on land grabbing will continue until all reported cases are resolved.

This comes days after the governor repossessed a grabbed public land that was housing Eden Home Rehabilitation Centre in Parklands.

On Wednesday, county officials moved in Pumwani area where a prominent businessman is said to have intended to grab part of the land on which Pumwani Maternity Hospital stands.

The tycoon reportedly sent in police officers to arrest a county officer, Barnabas Asembo, who was staying in a house on the piece of land in question.

“Today at dawn, a lab technician working at Pumwani Maternity Hospital was harassed by some individuals in presence of police officers who were forcing him to vacate from a county house he has been living in.

“I am perturbed by the way some police officers are conducting investigation in regard to land grabbing syndicates,” said Sonko Thursday.

Mr Asembo was arrested on Monday at his home and booked at Pangani police station.

WANTED TERRORIST

“I was arrested like a wanted terrorist. My rights were infringed. If Governor Sonko had not intervened, this piece of land would have been grabbed long time ago,” said Asembo.

But Pumwani DCI Zachary Mbaya said they are interrogating the matter and once they have concluded the investigation the culprits will face full wrath of the law.

“We are still on the matter. The culprits involved will automatically be prosecuted,” he said.

Meanwhile, City Hall has said it will partner with Eden House Foundation to establish a rehabilitation centre in the Ngara area to help individuals struggling with alcohol abuse, substance abuse and drug addiction.

Ms Primrose Mbuvi, the governor’s wife, gave the foundation a sh300, 000 cheque to help them rent a new premise in Ngara.

“I have given sh300, 000 to the directors of Eden House to look for an alternative place to hire to continue with their great work and also we are still looking on their proposal so that we can partner with them,” Ms Mbuvi said.