Residents invade land ceded by Del Monte, halt construction of county hospital

National NewsNews

Drama ensued in Kandara, Murang’a on Saturday, October 14 evening after a group of youth invaded and started erecting structures on the former Del Monte lands now under the control of the county government.

Police officers had to be called in to help disperse the youth who insisted have a share of the land ceded by the fruit processing company.

The Murang’a County Government has earmarked the controversial land for construction of a level five hospital.

However, the Kandara Residents Association insist to have a share of the land which they claim belonged to their forefathers before they were pushed out by colonizers.

Before renewing its lease, Del Monte ceded some 1,400 acres of land to Murang’a County government. The county has earmarked the land for construction of a Level 5 hospital and an industrial park among other developments.

In the ensuing melee, two were arrested and a truck delivering construction materials intercepted alongside a personal car.

Paul Kamande, who claimed to be the leader of the youth, said they moved into the land after the county government continued building the health facility, despite a Court of Appeal order restraining any activity being undertaken.

Police officers were called in to disperse the members of Kandara Residents Association who had invaded the land ceded by Del Monte and started erecting structures.

Patron of the Association Kibiru PMG Kamau said there was need for governor Irungu Kang’ata to adhere to the rule of law and stop the construction.

The matter surrounding the land is before the National Lands Commission (NLC) and Parliamentary Committee on Lands.

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Kirinyaga County is emerging as Kenya’s benchmark for the implementation of County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs), with other counties visiting to learn from its successful model as it positions itself as a leading destination for agro-industrial investment.  Bungoma County’s Department of Trade, Energy and Industrialization on Wednesday toured the County Aggregation and Industrial Park (CAIP) at Sagana to benchmark on its implementation ahead of rolling out a similar project back home.  The visit follows an earlier benchmarking mission by Kitui County, further cementing Kirinyaga’s position as a national leader in industrial park development. The CAIP is one of the flagship developments within the 252-acre Sagana Agro-Industrial City, a designated Special Economic Zone (SEZ) located in Ndia Constituency. Once fully developed, the industrial city is expected to create more than 10,000 direct jobs and a further 100,000 indirect employment opportunities while transforming Kirinyaga into a major manufacturing, processing and export hub.  The expansive development will also host an Export Processing Zone (EPZ), agro-processing industries, hotels, a golf course, affordable housing projects and other commercial investments, making it one of the country’s most ambitious county-led industrialization initiatives.  Read Also Police recover cannabis worth KSh 6…


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