Property owners and traders are on edge as a State agency moves to reclaim road reserves. Traders in Kenol, Sagana, Karatina, Chaka, Narumoru and Nanyuki towns are anxious over the impending demolition of property illegally constructed on road reserves.
For the past one month, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has been knocking down billboards, signage and temporary structures erected on road reserves.
Last week, the President urged KeNHA to be considerate and engage those affected to save them from losses. KeNHA has erected beacons along the highway, clearly marking the road reserves. The most affected is Naru Moru town in Nyeri County where an entire row of buildings has been condemned. Some of the buildings found to have encroached on the road include those of financial institutions and petrol stations.
Other towns where buildings are likely to be demolished are Nanyuki, Karatina and Chaka. Chaka has witnessed drama since last Sunday when market stalls were destroyed. Last Tuesday, traders barricaded the highway for hours to protest what they termed as high-handedness by KeNHA.
KeNHA spokesman Charles Njogu said buildings on road reserves “must be removed as part of our road corridor management plan.”
[Article source: The Standard, by Alan Mungai and Boniface Gikandi]
