President William Ruto has instructed the Ministry of Land to cancel the land titles for properties in Athi River that have remained undeveloped for over a decade.
Speaking at the launch of Square Pharmaceuticals Kenya in the Athi River Export Processing Zones (EPZ), President Ruto expressed the need to remove speculators who have held onto land without any development, and to transfer these parcels to the EPZ.
President Ruto also directed that a portion of land previously taken from the East Africa Portland Cement Company (EAPCC), following a court ruling, should be transferred to the EPZ. He emphasized the transfer of approximately 1,000 acres from EAPCC to the EPZ to facilitate the government’s expansion plans for the facility.
This directive may face opposition from long-standing squatters who have been involved in a prolonged legal dispute with the cement factory.
President Ruto articulated, “I have given clear instructions to the management here that all speculators, people who have held titles to pieces of land for 10, 15, 20, 30 years without developing them, should be revoked so that we can give it to people who want to use this facility.”
He further explained, “I am informed that we now have an extra 250 acres of land that were originally occupied by speculators, and we can bring additional pieces of land, additional space into the manufacturing space here in EPZ, Athi River.”
President Ruto also discussed the government’s efforts to establish Special Economic Zones in Thika, Eldoret, Busia, and Nakuru in the initial phase. This initiative aims to attract investors to set up companies in these areas, capitalizing on the project’s potential benefits.
He encouraged companies to consider the opportunities within the East African community and COMESA, in addition to the continent as a whole, where there is access to a market of nearly 400 million people.
Addressing the water shortage issue in Athi River, the President assured that it would be resolved by completing the construction of the Northern Collector Tunnel. He stated, “I have given orders to the Ministry of Water to ensure the Northern Collector Tunnel, engaged in its construction, is completed. We are at the tail end and working on a dedicated pipeline to Athi River so that residents and companies have access to support manufacturing in this space.”
