NMS DG Badi On The Spot Over Public Land Grabbing To Private Developers

The senators, led by committee chairperson and Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang were shocked to find that two staff quarters allocated to doctors working at Pumwani Maternity Hospital had been converted to a garage and a parking yard.

Pumwani land row:

Staffers of Pumwani hospital displaced in alleged land grabbing. Senate Devolution Committee to summon NMS boss Badi.

Private developers already putting up structures on contested land #Tonight pic.twitter.com/n6qO57bfBD

— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) February 17, 2022

Barely a hundred metres from the two illegally occupied houses, another plot, said to belong to a police station, now has a petrol station.

The police were also accused by residents of being used by powerful businessmen to facilitate the eviction of the rightful owners of the land.

As such, the committee summoned Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai to account for the police’s actions. Other officers summoned included the land surveyor as well as the Lands chief officer.

The site visit hit a little snag when NMS failed to show up yet it possessed crucial documents including the survey plans, and title deeds that were to guide the exercise.

The Senate also wants answers on how a public land where Parklands Highridge Clinic is now grabbed.

A private developer Elmi Afrah Properties is currently putting up apartments in what used to be a public land. This particular parcel has been fought by regimes from grabbing. At one point, Raila Odinga, James Orengo and City Hall’s Philip Kisia had to personally intervene to stop it from being grabbed by the land grabbers.

Ironically, DG Badi in July 2020 had stopped the construction claiming that the land was public land.

Nairobi Metropolitan Services director general Mohamed Badi and county officials at the construction site in Parklands on July 13, 2020.

Workers at the construction site along Nairobi’s 3rd Parklands Avenue fled when NMS director general Mohammed Badi arrived dressed in military gear to reclaim the land.

Badi, accompanied by area MCA Jayendra Malde, Westlands MP Timothy Wanyonyi and police arrived at the site and stopped construction works.

The foundations for the building had already been done and work on concrete pillars was ongoing for proposed high-rise flats.

“All construction that is going on has been stopped. Anybody coming here should be arrested and prosecuted,” Badi told journalists at the site.

Reports indicate the Highridge clinic had been constructed at the site before unknown entities demolished it, secured ownership documents and started developing it.

Badi said the Nairobi Metropolitan Services would repossess land in other areas which have been grabbed. Badi said construction of a public hospital will begin at the site soon.

NMS Director, Mohammed Badi, stops construction on a grabbed land, warns that land grabbers will no longer enjoy immunity.#NTVTonight @NginaKirori pic.twitter.com/UKjW364RVD

— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) July 13, 2020

What changed between then and today nobody knows, what’s clear is the construction of the modern apartments is ongoing.

Badi and his administration has more questions to answer on a matter that is now raising more eyebrows as most of the recently grabbed public land are allocated to members of one ethnic group. Whether he’ll honor the summons is a matter of time and a good opportunity to dig deeper and unearth the answers.

Corruption and impunity has in the past seen public land grabbed by corrupt investors who with oiling well equally corrupt state officials, grab and get away with their crimes. Former Governor of Nairobi Mike Sonko was in many instances seen to be publicly fighting the land cartels and in many occasions personally showed up to stop illegal takeovers.