Leaders and residents in Juja sub-county, Kiambu County have raised concern over rampant encroachment of public school land in the area.
They claim that unscrupulous individuals have been working in cahoots with crooked officials at the Ministry of Lands to produce fake land ownership documents for the prime parcels.
Already, two land parcels situated in Decoma area, Kalimoni ward that were earmarked for the construction of a social hall and a nursery school respectively have been grabbed and sold to unsuspecting land buyers.
Worse is the situation that the corrupt individuals have trained their eyes on a prime land parcel that was set aside for the construction of a public primary school.
Speaking during a public baraza in the area, the locals alleged that theft of public utilities is being aided by some leaders, some of whom hold elective positions in the sub-county.
“Theft of public utilities has caused us untold suffering. Our children are trekking for long distances to schools because the parcels earmarked for the construction of the institutions have been grabbed. The criminal activities are being perpetrated by well-known individuals. However we have said enough is enough and they won’t steal the only land parcel remaining for construction of a public school,” said Jemima Muthoni, a local leader.
To salvage the situation, area MP George Koimburi said that the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) in the area has set aside Ksh7.8 million in the current financial year for the construction of a primary school.
He said that he made the intervention after area residents petitioned his office to put up a new school in the area to ward off land grabbers who were drooling over the land parcel and to bring an end to the suffering of learners in the area who were trekking for kilometres to schools in neighbouring areas including Kigwe, St. Francis, Muigai-ini, Thiririka and Kalimoni Primary Schools.
“The money has already been factored in the current budget and construction of the school will kick off very soon. This should be a warning to all individuals who have grabbed any public land in Juja that their days are numbered and that we have started the process of reclaiming the land parcels,” Koimburi said.
The MP blamed Kalimoni Ward MCA Geoffrey Mucheke for aiding theft and encroachment of public utilities in the area.
“Mucheke you are my good friend. It is very wrong when Juja people lodge complaints in my office that you are part of the cartel that is stealing public land,” Koimburi said.
He said that he had written to the Ministry of Lands, the National Lands Commission and the Police seeking to have any title deed produced for a public utility revoked.
However, Mucheke who had attended the meeting earlier, said that he had been at the forefront in protecting public utilities in the area noting that during the previous regime, he helped the community get title deeds for some of the land parcels.
Mucheke, who maintained his hard stance on any landgrabbing schemes in his ward, said that he is ready to lobby for the construction of a nursery school in the area once the land parcel set aside for the same is available.
“I convened a meeting at this public land allocated for a public school together with the then Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu and we managed to fast-track processing of its title deed. I understand the suffering of parents and learners in this peri-urban area. I will ensure that we put up a nursery school in this area as soon as we get the land for the project,” Mucheke said.
Idris Bonaya, one of the officials who subdivided the vast land noted that they have allocated public spaces for vital community utilities. He averred that they had already put up a structure at the primary school land which will now be converted into classrooms and offices.
By Kamau Njoroge
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