A section of Kenya Railways Corporation retirees are locked in a battle with the company over a 2-acre piece of land worth Sh1 billion in Valley Road in Nairobi.
On Friday, the retirees said in 2015 they initiated a sale transfer for the piece of land to a private developer for a total of Sh400 million.
The private developer Mahadi Investments had already paid them Sh300 million and was expected to clear the remaining Sh100 million once they get the relevant documents for the property. The money raised through the sale was paid to pensioners belonging to the scheme.
But the retirees are now accusing Kenya Railways Corporation of holding on to the documents for the property, denying them a chance to be paid the balance.
The retirees said they have been denied access to the property and the private developer is less likely to pay them the balance.
“As retirees we are shocked that KRC having installed a stranger in our property, what does that mean to our contract and the monies that we have already utilized for the benefit of the retirees. Is the said stranger vested with any rights over the property,” Mr Isaac Amuma, one of the Directors of the Association of Kenya Railways Retirees said.
The retirees made the revelations during a press conference while accompanied by Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua.
“These are old people who have already retired and they are here looking for their dues. How inhuman can it be that a private developer grabs their land, demolishes structures and puts police on it? The retirees have written to Kenya Railways Corporation on various occasions asking for the completion documents, Kenya Railways Corporation has failed, neglected or refused to provide the said documents without any reasonable explanation,” Mr Musyoka said.
However, Kenya Railways Corporation Managing Director Phillip Mainga told Nation.Africa that the piece of land belongs to the corporation and a private developer had encroached on it.
“Those are falsehoods and they are being perpetrated by the grabbers of the land. The land belongs to Kenya Railways and we went in and evicted the person who had occupied the land illegally. That is what we did and there is no malice in what we did since the land belongs to us. We have the title deed and all documents for the property,” Mr Mainga said.
In a follow-up statement on Saturday, Mr Mainga called on parties involved to wait for the conclusion of the case in court.
“We wish to clarify the allegations issued during the above-mentioned Press Statement are misleading. The land in question — Ref No. 209/1064/1,2,3&4 — is the property of Kenya Railways and we are not privy to the sale transaction. We further wish to state that the matter is currently before the courts and urge any aggrieved parties to allow the court process to take its due course in addressing the dispute,” Kenya Railways said in a statement.
On Thursday, the retirees had gathered at the piece of land located behind Integrity Centre to forcefully occupy it but were relapsed by police officers.
The piece of land is among the 23 properties that were transferred by KRC to the Kenya Railways Corporation Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme in 2006.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 13 (h) of the Kenya Railways Corporation Act. the Kenya Railways Corporation. with the approval of the Minister, determines that the properties set out in the Schedule hereto shall with effect from the date of publication of this notice be transferred and vested in the Trustees of the Kenya Railways Corporation Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme,” reads the gazette notice dated September 7, 2006.
Others include 209/6829 Makongeni Estate in Nairobi (141 acres), 209/6502 Muthurwa Estate in Nairobi (56 acres), Ngara Railway Estate in Nairobi, 209/8760 in Lower Hill Road in Nairobi (3.90 acres), 209/378/5 property in Huringham, Nairobi (0.48 acres), 1/422 property in Ngong Road in Nairobi (0.71 acres), 1/420 Ngong Road in Nairobi (0.71 acres), 1/423 along Kindaruma Road in Nairobi (0.71 acres), 1/437 along Kindaruma Road in Nairobi (0.71 acres), 1/450 along Ngong Road in Nairobi (0.52 acres), 1/451 along Ngong Road in Nairobi (0.52 acres).
The rest are 209/6525 in Upper Hill in Nairobi (8.69 acres), 209/12402 in Goods Shed in Nairobi (5 acres), 209/6505 in Matumbato, Nairobi (6.51 acres), 209/6506 in Matumbato in Nairobi (6.721 acres), 209/11891 in Nairobi West in Nairobi (3.8 acres), 209/1953 Kenya Railways Club (18 acres), 209/12088 Landmawe in Nairobi (20 acres) and 209/12178 in Upperhill Nairobi (8.77 acres)
