Concerned Citizen, a human rights lobby group, has raised a concern over alleged grabbing of a road reserve around the Mombasa’s Railways round-about.
The group’s director Bradley Ouna, led a section of locals to protest against the alleged land grabbing.
According to Ouna, Mombasa Cement Company constructed a shed on the said land, which was being used as a feeding center.
Ouna called on various government agencies; including the county government of Mombasa, the National Land Commission and the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission to investigate how that section of the road reserve was allocated to Mombasa Cement.
“This shed has blocked other businesses in this area. This perimeter wall has been constructed illegally,” said Ouna.
Ouna said they are not against Mombasa Cement Company’s philanthropy nature of feeding the poor, but the shed at railway’s roundabout is sitting on a road reserve.
“By next week, if he’ll not have brought down this wall, we shall mobilize the public to come and pull it down,” Ouna said.
However, the Mombasa Cement Company, through Samir Baloo, denied claims that they had grabbed the parcel of land.
Baloo, who is Tudor Ward MCA and an employee of Mombasa Cement, said the land belonged to another business person who transferred its ownership to the Mombasa Cement.
“The place that they are claiming to have been grabbed belongs to General Tyres and the owner of General tyres passed away,” Baloo said.
“But before he died, he gave the owner of Mombasa Cement permission to access and use the area for its philanthropic deeds.”
Baloo said that contrary to the claims that the plot has no title deed, there are ownership documents for the area and they indicate that the plot belongs to General Tyre.
The MCA said Mombasa Cement had been using the plot for a free food programme for Mombasa residents, but when Covid-19 came, they closed the area and started offering their food programmes at Kibarani.
This is because the initial area had become small and the number of people who needed food had increased several folds and because they had to adhere to Covid-19 protocols.
Interestingly, Baloo also said that there is a certain business person who is eyeing the contested plot.
“I’m also aware of a business person who wants to grab that land that the owner of Mombasa Cement is being accused of grabbing,” Baloo said.