[Source: The Standard, by Mireri Junior]
A real estate firm has withdrawn a Sh26 billion suit challenging the ownership of huge parcels of land involving Kenya Railways pensioners.
Edermann Property on July 6 entered into an agreement with Registered Trustee of Kenya Railways Retirement Benefit schemes and Kenya Railways Corporation to solve the row that has stretched for over a decade.
“The plaintiff hereby withdraws its suit against the 1 and 2 respondents unconditionally,” read the consent document seen by Standard Digital. The consent was recorded at Commercial and Admiralty Division, Milimani Law Courts.
The dispute started after Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) and Kenya Railways Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme (KRSRBS) started selling land that Edermann held it had acquired through a tender. The firm had said it was ready to put an investment of over Sh40 billion on the contested properties.
Now, Edermann says it has extended an olive branch to KRC and KRSRBS to “stop the suffering of the pensioners” who have spent millions of monies in the court case.
The plight of the railway pensioners, who decried not receiving pensions for up to 11 months, was published in the media in May this year.
“We are very happy and we feel relieved after a long-protracted court battle which has lasted in court for many years. We are looking forward to more fruitful deliberations,” said one of the pensioners, John Ndege.
Ndege said the move by Edermann has brought relief to them as their lives had been seriously affected.He called on all affected pensioners to be optimistic as the move could be “a light at the end of the tunnel to the suffering”.
On May 2020, Kenya Railways Corporation retirees urged the government to intervene and ensure their monthly pension was paid.
[Full article: The Standard, by Mireri Junior]
