Following demolitions of properties that were erected on railway land on Friday and Saturday where several traders as well as individuals lost their properties and are now counting losses, Trans Nzoia County woman representative Janet Nangabo and his kwanza Mp counterpart
Ferdinand wanyonyi have condemned the manner in which demolitions were done claiming the affected tenants are the ones affected adversely.
Last Friday regional commissioner for Rift valley George Natembeya toured Kitale town giving an ultimatum of eight hours for those traders
on railway land to vacate stating the government was in the process of reclaiming back its land that was under the hands of individuals and
traders. Railway administration had leased several individuals their land who in turn erected structures on the same land and rented them to several tenants and that all they the landlords talked directly
the railway administration.
Demolitions were carried out on Friday night and ran up to Saturday morning where several structures erected on the land including
churches, petrol stations, restaurants, and shopping malls were demolished rendering more than 3000 people jobless and without income
with several traders counting huge losses.
Transnzoaia county Mp Janet Nangabo has condemned the manner in which the demolitions were carried out claiming it was ruthless and that the railway management together with the county Government failed in informing the inhabitants of the land their plans.
Kwanza Mp Ferdinand Wanyonyi condemned the railway management, over what he called demolishing structures for the inhabitants of the land under the pretext of reclaiming back its land yet failed to explain the plans it has put in place of erecting structures or construction of a railway line on the said farm. Speaking in different functions ,they both blamed the national government and county Government for their failure to work hand in hand in relaying information to the inhabitants of the land as well as putting them in dark concerning their intended demolitions, claiming they had no information whatsoever in what happened as all the
information was concealed between the national government and the county
government.
The two leaders however blamed land owners for failure to give information to their tenants concerning the intended demolition of structures claiming despite them having received a notice over the same in 2019 and having been compensated by the railway
administration, they decided to keep quiet and continue milking unsuspecting tenants.
“Where is this railway line that is being constructed on the same land where our people were evicted”, show us one so that we see, where is
this locomotive visiting our town Kitale”, claimed leaders. They however promised to work together with affected traders in finding justice by suing landlords to compensate tenants affected.