This is really sad. Plus There's something fishy going on here. The last phase of this project was started months ago and they have been built at a certain speed which is suspicious to me. (i see progress daily, somehow)..

There's definitely Panic among all the neighbor estates, Diamond/Bankers/Current Executive. Not sure about Eagles Plains yet.

@xsk, if its built on land belonging to an individual, then demolition is a solution. If its built on land belonging to Govt, then demolition is not a solution. Ministry of lands/agric appropriated the land from govt to individuals hence what is required are more detailed laws on how idle govt lands should transfer to the public within the confines of law.

In other developed countries, they check all idle underutilized govt lands then use well crafted laws to resell the same to the public for development.

http://www.parliament.uk...and%20Reform%20Paper.pdf

What you are saying is we legalize grabbing.
Demolitions should not spare anyone either on private or public land

@a4a, I disagree with you on this one. illegality remains an illegality irrespective of circumstances.

The buck stops with the cabinet secretary for lands/parliament . If i was to advise her/them on this, i would suggest to borrow from developed countries on how transfer of idle government lands is to be done through creation of land laws like Scotland and other countries are doing.
http://www.parliament.uk...nd%20Reform%20Paper.pdf

In a country like Kenya with rampant corruption and lack of meritocracy at decision making level, implementation and debate of such laws will of-course take huge political tangents but it would be worth the try.

In my day to day as an architect, i deal with land appropriation issues in countries around kenya eg rwanda whereby as the towns and cities are expanding, govt is allocating its land to private individuals for development. In such countries, the process is done within set rules/laws/guidelines that are fair. What lacks in Kenya is these laws that are deemed to be fair by all such that @alma and @xzk are given an equal chance to bid for the land. Its a tall order to imagine that govt will utilize all its prime lands in nairobi. fact is that govt will need to appropriate to private sector insted of the land lying idle and benefiting no one exept grasshoppers.

@birdma, what kenyans should be asking is
1. what is the correct/legal way to move unutilised idle land from govt to private sector?
At the time this land was appropriated, what was the legal way to do it? was Moi's/commissioner for lands word all that was legally needed? Are current laws sufficient to assist this or more laws are needed?
2. what parameters should be used to describe govt lands as idle/unutilised?
3. should the allocation be through bidding/highest bidder etc?
4. what are the pros and cons of appropriating underutilized govt lands to the economy?

The day these questions will be tacked by parliament/cs lands is the day kenya would have moved a step ahead to prevent such situations.

@a4 we have had this conversation before. You are still trying to push an agenda that is neither here nor there.

The only person who can even consider that this grabbed land was grabbed because he was going to do a better job is the thief in the first place.

This land was not given out by the gov't. Someone grabbed it.

Gave a few hundred acres to his friends and girlfriend.

He then sold it to NSSF. NSSF bought illegally acquired land, then sold it.

It's not an issue of if or what. It's actually what happened.

If you as an architect can not advise your client as to the status of the land they acquired, then we have a big problem in this country.

This is not the sort of land like the Southern bypass where the gov't has seen that putting a road will do more good than a few lions.

This is a robbery of the state coffers. My taxes.

Now a4 has this misconceived notion that the work of Kenyan citizens is to be happy when people steal land.

I don't think that will fly.

The man who stole should be in court. Again the gov't will sanitize this story. Ati sonko saved. Saved what. Those owners are still holding on to a fake title. Woe unto them if the next president is one who values law and order than cronysm and killing the Kenyan economy.

Those that stole this land should pay.

Then we can have debates about maximum use of land. Not lying to these owners that they are safe now that sonko is going to show up at 9pm news. They aren't safe.

It will happen maybe not today probably over christmas or when Uhuru takes another trip somewhere.

@alma, answer the below questions.

1. in the 90s, were the laws such that commissioner of lands/president had powers to alienate government land to private parties?

2. currently, what are the laws guiding appropriation of govt land to private individuals?

3. how else is a private citizen supposed to check.verify on land ownership if the president/commisioner of lands says that the land is owned by say,NSSF? The president/lands commisioners were the custodians of land registry and if they so wished to make all nairobi lands be in the name of @alma, kenyans had no other choice but to take it that @alma is the land owner or go to court for interpretation or ask parliament to amend the law.

President halts demolition of South B houses
http://www.news24.co.ke/Nationa...-South-B-houses-20140521

@4 contrary to what you think, the laws of land acquisition and conveyancing have changed little since independence.

The laws on land are very clear. There is no need to change them.

What has happened is that some people are more special than others. Can go to a piece of land and say that since this belongs to Kari, it is now mine.

Having the ability to do that does not mean that you are doing it legally.

It is illegal to acquire land the way the South B land was acquired.

You are an architect, please go get the Ndungu report, that piece of land is like an amber alert.