Cyrus Musyoka ‘Sonko’ Calls for Fair Valuation of Residents’ Land in The On-going Compensation of Kitui-Kibwezi Road
Sonko addressing residents of Kitui South during a past campaign
Kitui south youth leader, Cyrus Musyoka popularly known as ‘Sonko’, has today called for the National Land Commission (NLC) to prioritize issuing proper compensation and land acquisition guidelines amid protests by landowners on how the whole matter of compensation is being handled. This comes in connection to the ongoing upgrading of Kitui-Kibwezi road.
The fiery youth leader called on the NLC, Kenya National Highway Authority, the area Member of Parliament, who is also the chairperson of the Parliamentary Lands Committee and Sino Hydro, the company undertaking the project, to ensure Kitui south residents are not deprived of their property rights.
“Kitui south residents have the right to a fair compensation and transparency in the acquisition of their land for road use”, said Sonko. “The constitution recognizes private property rights and the involved stakeholders must let landowners enjoy their right to negotiate compensation for their lands.”
Speaking during an interview with a local radio station, Sonko acknowledged the importance of the road to the residents but warned that it should not be constructed at the expense of the poor residents. He called for proper valuation criteria where residents will get value for their land and assets attached to the land while employing the prevailing market values. He queried why compensation awards were being passed without properly documented agreements with the landowners.
Sonko called on the residents not to surrender their land and demand generous compensation and damages as the government was obliged to give compensation to the affected landowners in such cases. He, later on, appealed to the area Member of Parliament, Rachael Nyamai to ensure justice is served and that land rights are protected as the life-changing road project continues.
This comes at a time when residents are decrying foul-play alleging that the compensation process is marred with corruption and the area Member of Parliament is said to have turned a deaf ear, and a blind eye to what the affected residents are going through. In one case, an old woman from Kavuuni village in Kitoo sublocation was paid Ksh7,000 instead of a supposedly amount of Ksh700, 000 as compensation for her property by SinoHydro, the company in charge of the upgrading of the Kitui-Kibwezi road.
