County watchdog committee has been on the case of a restaurant that has been thriving in its operations on City Park’s land. Nairobi County Assembly Public Accounts Committee (PAC) now want City Hall, in conjunction with other state agencies, to immediately start the process of evicting all encroachers from City Park.
Its chair, Mabatini MCA Wilfred Odalo called on the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to dig into how the lease for the park’s land which is a public entity was acquired by Former City Hall Chief of Staff George Wainaina who has been running the restaurant business.
“The committee was informed that the owner of the facility is former chief of staff to the former governor Evans Kidero, one Mr George Wainaina. The Chief Officer Lands should spearhead the process of surveying, demarcating and ensuring the park’s title deed is safely kept and the park is restored to its natural state,” recommended the report adopted by the Nairobi County Assembly.
Private developers and business enterprises have encroached several sections of the park including the seedlings area, habitats for wild animals and trees in the park, according to the committee. Mr Wainaina is alleged to have colluded with county officials to fraudulently lease part of the park to operate a club, contrary to existing regulations on the management of parks.
“The chief officer declined to reveal the identities of the persons although he alleged that one of the encroachers was the slain businessman Jacob Juma. He also failed to provide the original title deed of the park and the survey report of the exact size of the land,” the report further says.
It invoked the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and National Land Commission (NLC) to institute investigations on all transactions on the land, especially the transfer to private entities to determine whether the transfers were irregular with those found culpable to be prosecuted and the transfers revoked.
“Lands executive and the chief officer should engage the NLC with a view to revoking fraudulent titles that the private developer may have acquired and ensure that within three months, (they) survey, demarcate and fence the property and put it to the original intended use,” recommended the committee.