Busia: At least 46 families that were yet to be compensated during the construction of the Lower Nzoia irrigation project will soon be paid, the national land commission has assured.
According to Kenya News Agency, the commission chief executive officer, Kabaale Tache Arero, stated that the commission requires about Ksh. 120 million to clear the remaining claims from the affected persons in both Busia and Siaya counties. She made these remarks at the project water intake point in Ugunja sub-county during a visit led by commission chairman Abdillahi Almawy.
The CEO assured affected landowners that the commission was actively coordinating with the Ministry of Water and Irrigation to expedite the disbursement. “We have requested about KSh 108 million following a joint reconciliation exercise, alongside a previous schedule of KSh 17.6 million for 46 beneficiaries. In total, we require around KSh 120 million to fully settle the remaining compensation,” said Ms. Arero.
Arero noted that over K. Sh 1.5 billion has already been paid out to date, representing 95 percent of the total monetary allocation, covering about 80 percent of all affected landowners in the two counties. She emphasized the importance of due diligence and accountability in land compensation matters.
National Lands Commission Principal Valuer, Peter Kaunda, highlighted the progress made in the acquisition process that began in 2020, despite complex ground realities faced by the NLC team. He noted challenges faced during evaluations, especially in areas where land was cleared before inspections.
Kaunda mentioned that several remaining claims involve complex legal issues, including encumbered title deeds and untraceable landowners. Eng. Samson Musyoka from the State Department of Water and Sanitation praised the collaboration with NLC, noting that land acquisition enabled the successful construction of 34 kilometers of protective dykes. This intervention has protected an estimated 60,000 residents from flooding in Budalangi.
