Private developers,govt. grab house where Kenya's first president Jomo Kenyatta was detained

david nganga

January 16, 2018 6:41 PM

The total area under illegal occupation is currently estimated at Sh10 million

Part of the land belonging to Kenyatta Houses in Lodwar town has been grabbed, a new audit shows.

Auditor General Edward Ouko says the Livestock Department, Turkana county government and private developers have seized hold of the area which housed the Kenyatta buildings.

In the audit, Ouko stated that the department of livestock has put up permanent premises on museum land without any documentation or authority whereas private developers have put up permanent buildings on plots carved out from the National Museum of Kenya.

“The County Government of Turkana has also put up a permanent library building plus an ablution block on Museum land with the staff on site not providing documents or mutual agreements entered into by the two parties,” Mr Ouko said.

According to Mr. Ouko, the total area under illegal occupation is estimated at Sh10 million at the prevailing market rates.

“It is a matter of grave concern that the historical buildings that were occupied by the freedom fighters have dilapidated over the years while some are occupied by intruders,” Mr Ouko says in a qualified audit opinion of the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) that was tabled in Parliament.

The houses were used by the colonial government to detain the Kapenguria Six founding fathers of Kenya, including Jomo Kenyatta, who became the first President.

david nganga