Spring Valley Nairobi – An area that was supposedly protected by the Green Belt Movement is now being built up by a developer. The Green Belt Movement is the organization founded by the venerable Prof. Wangari Maathai, a nobel laureate and actually a heroine of mine. I ask about this because there are more questions than I have answers, when I drove by this area in late 2006 and late 2007 my impression was that the whole valley around the signboard was part of the Green Belt Movement protected area. At the time the whole place just had trees and a few vegetable gardens. Am I mistaken?
The sign board is now an exercise in utter irony
Fence around the property
view from the road
view from the side.
All pics taken June 28th 2009.
Anyone with more info, please comment.
Land Grab Right on The Green Belt? http://tinyurl.com/kw7wga afromusing.com 2009/07/29
That is what happens when you introduce politics to enviroment conservation. Green Belt Movement and Wangari Mathai was not about enviroment conservation, they were all about politics. If that was not the case, how comes that she has not gone to freedom corner and undress as they did when Uhuru park was about to be grabbed by KANU. I bet that if it were to be grabbed today by Kibaki or any Kibaki allied personality, Green Belt movement or Wangari Mathai wont raise a damn finger,as oppossed to then when she rabbidly defended it.
I think the problem we are currently experiencing in Kenya is a general civil society fatigue. What do when the people you were clobbered with on Kenyatta avenue are the very ones grabbing land now? Do you continue the fight? Do you throw your hands up in the air?
I wouldn’t be quick to fault the intentions of Kenya’s shining daughter, Prof. Maathai. It is not her fault that someone has grabbed this land. Plus we can’t expect the greenbelt movement to be the sole police of all land allocations. I hope someone with more info on this posts a comment on this soon.
The question is; How did the guy get a building permit in the first place. From well placed sources I know that the owner is a politically connected person. He owns the land genuinely. However, here is the thing
Looking at the existing laws, you cannot build anything on the piece of land. There are two existing roads bordering the land plus on one side the future bypass. Further more the land is dissected smack in the middle by a river. The land is very steep. Setbacks from the road (6m from edge) are measured horizontally and not along the slope. There is also a 6m setback from the river edge! Using this information, there is no way you can build anything there if you adhere to the setbacks. You cannot possibly build even one unit on the plot, the developer is building 6 units! Further more, there is no sewer connection, that means he has to use a septic tank. Septic tanks have been outlawed by NEMA. Will the developer install Waste Water Treatment Plants? The neighbouring resident associations have condemned the construction also a basic requirement by law (You need the neighbours approval to construct anything) which has been totally disregarded!
Based on this basic facts, how did the developer get a building permit from City Council? Who designed those houses for him completely disregarding the existing By-Laws? NEMA did not approve the construction. The owner has been defiant and continued construction and the matter is now in court…The developer will definitely loose the case, but he is still constructing and will sell the houses to unsuspecting buyers who will be hit by a demolition order from the Government. I am sure the courts will not pass a ruling until the developer has sold the houses.
Why does the court not stop such illegal construction till the matter is settled before court? The court should be fair by stopping all development till the matter is settled in court. This land grab has also been discussed in parliament where the issue was raised and nothing came out of it.
Currently the place is guarded by AP’s at night and private security during the day. After a few breaks, due to destruction by two fierce women (Maathai and Ngilu who lives nearby) construction has recently begun again!
This is a very good example of impunity in Kenya.