Landowners along the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) corridor yesterday held demonstrations to protest over delayed compensation by the Government.
The 78 property owners in Suswa in Narok East Sub-county paralysed operations at the construction site and accused the National Land Commission (NLC) and Kenya Railways of not living up to their expectations by failing to fulfill their pledges.
Community members, who were led by their representatives Alfred ole Poror, Simon Punyua and Stephen ole Kalempe, said it had been almost six months since the two agencies promised to pay them for their land but nothing had been forthcoming.
The landowners also lamented over the land valuation process which they said was ‘oppressive’ owing to the intensity of the project.
They demanded that the Sh500,000-Sh1 million per acre price offer by Kenya Railways should be reviewed upwards to at least Sh7 million per acre.
The landowners vowed to camp at the SGR site until their demands were heard and determined.
Last year, Prof Swazuri assured hundreds of landowners affected by the SGR project in Nakuru/Narok counties that they would be adequately compensated before phase two of the project kicked off.
In his meeting with the property owners, Swazuri asked them not to speculate or be anxious on the matter.
The chair, who was accompanied by NLC commissioners Clement Lenachuru and Silas Kinoti, said the NLC had already issued land acquisition notices and that professional land valuers would soon be deployed to conduct valuation of the affected parcels.
[Article source: The Standard, by Robert Kiplagat]
