The chief public prosecutor Noordin Haji now wants government officials who approved illegal building and investments on riparian lands and road reserves to pay for their sins.
Mr Haji has directed the Director of Criminal Investigation George Kinoti to investigate the illegal allocations and approvals that have cost people’s properties that has lead to country’s economy billions of shillings.
The Chief Prosecutor now want the DCI boss to “establish the cirmcumstances, procedures and persons who irregularly and/or illegally issued the approvals.”
In a statement on Thursday, Mr Haji said he had instructed Mr Kinoti to send him a report on the investigation in 21 days and thereafter, progress updates every 21 days
Already, the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) has demolished multi-billion-shilling malls in the capital Nairobi, with more set to come down.
But while the losses are being borne by the owners of the buildings, the investors have turned the heat on government agencies that approved the investments.
The investors have maintained that they obtained requisite permits from relevant government authorities before they started to erect the now condemned buildings.
Some of the government agencies concerned with such approvals are Nema, the Nairobi City County, Water Resources Management Authority and the National Constructions Authority.
On Thursday, President Uhuru Kenyatta said that the exercise would go on despite the protests and opposition.
On his twitter account He said
We will continue to demolish properties constructed on riparian lands, equally punish officials who made approvals for those properties. We are doing everything to discourage corruption. It is possible to do clean business in Kenya, this is what we want to encourage. pic.twitter.com/MPsrTJw4wj
— Uhuru Kenyatta (@UKenyatta) August 9, 2018
The president also added saying that officials who made approvals for the premises to be built on such lands will be punished.
The President’s sentiments come even as the demolition of buildings in Nairobi continues.
The demolitions started on Monday as the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) set out to reclaim illegally occupied wetlands in the city.
The national environment watchdog demolished structures on riparian land in Nairobi’s Kileleshwa area.
President Kenyatta’s resolve on the demolitions came at the same time with that of Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko who Thursday said he is ready to be a one-term governor but ensure that Nairobi regains its glory.
He said that he will ensure that all properties built on waterways, road reserves and riparian land are removed.
Governor Sonko said that the law should not be applied selectively and that he is ready to lead by example, adding that even his own property in Buru Buru, which has been built on a road reserve, will also be brought down.
On Wednesday, the purge moved to Lang’ata where South End Mall located at the junction of Mbagathi and Lang’ata roads and which is built on riparian land was demolished.
National Youth Service bulldozers descended on the mall at 3am under the watchful eye of the police, with tenants pleading to be given time to remove their properties.