- Hundreds of residents from the Dupoto Embakasi Township Settlement Scheme are demanding answers over delayed compensation for land acquired by the government for the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).
The community members, through their legal representatives, have petitioned authorities to launch a criminal investigation into the handling of compensation funds.
According to a petition dated March 12, 2024, and addressed to EACC and DCI the residents claim that their compensation money was deposited into an escrow account at Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB), Kipande Branch.
The account, they allege, was held under the joint names of two law firms—Johnson and Partners Advocates LLP and Sankale & Company Advocates.
However, despite the funds being released by the Kenya Railways Corporation, the intended beneficiaries have yet to receive their payments.
“We are requesting a full criminal investigation to determine the actual sale price, the acreage of land acquired, and the legitimacy of payments made from the escrow account,” the petition reads in part.
The land in question was compulsorily acquired by the government through Kenya Railways Corporation for the SGR project, one of Kenya’s most ambitious infrastructure developments.
