Land grabbing mania rears its ugly head

I don’t know whether it’s only me, but I sometimes think our country has become a kind of running joke.

The things happening here can only happen in a banana republic. These things are happening at the national and county governments. And I mean also current and former governments. No one is clean.

Take the latest fiasco where the honcho at State House – a fellow named Katoo ole Metito, the State House comptroller - casually confirmed that, over the years, land belonging to State House has been grabbed.

During his presentation to MPs, he casually mentioned that hundreds of acres of State House land have been ‘grabbed’.

Although he claimed they are reclaiming the land, I am not sure they will be reporting soon on the progress. Most of those who grab government land are well-connected individuals who know that some noisemakers will do their thing and then, in between a lull, the status quo will be restored.

The main question is: who are these people brave enough to steal government land? Not any government land, but, in this case, the seat of government?

The land where the head of state conducts business and where he takes his breaks when the campaign schedule allows?

The land where the head of state hosts all those important party delegates for feasts that would have made King Henry VIII (he died of gluttony) envious?

Who dares throw stones into a police station? It can only be a person who knows the policemen will do nothing because he’s above the law. Or one of them.

Now, state houses are heavily protected areas, being the seat of the head of state. To say hundreds of acres have been grabbed is telling the world that we cannot entrust the people in charge of security for the head of state to do their work.

In Nakuru, for instance, there’s this new massive superstructure overlooking State House. The structure, which of course has the county government’s, NEMA’s, NCA’s, etc. approval, is to be turned into the largest business hotel in the region.

The parliamentary committee decreed that the structure, which is almost ready for business, should be halted. I am not crossing my fingers on this one. We all know this particular hotel is owned by people – wait for it – very close to State House.

From the time the foundation was laid, security operatives – more so those guarding state houses – must have raised the red flag. By the time the structure reached floor ten, there would have been pandemonium within the security circles.

A multi-story hotel overlooking the head of state’s bedroom is a serious security threat.

I am inclined to think that, as part of the hotel’s marketing strategy, State House facing rooms would attract a premium rate compared to standard rooms.

These ‘superior deluxe presidential’ rooms would not only attract a premium rate for the curious business executive, it would also be a magnet for some ill-intentioned characters interested in more than the flora and fauna found among the lawns of State House.

That it takes a parliamentary committee to halt the construction of this hotel can only lead us to two conclusions: that the security services never saw the project as a security risk in the first place, despite the obvious risks, or that they received instructions to look the other way. I am inclined to believe the latter.

The question is: what happens next? I can bet my last penny that the hotel will remain in place, and will be opened in due course, perhaps with not as much fanfare as they would have wished, but open it will be.

Nakuru is particularly notorious for such behaviours. Right across State House on the other side of the road, a petrol station has been built right across a beautiful pedestrian path that had been painstakingly built by the former governor.

It is said to be owned – you guessed it – by a powerful local politician. And you tell me we are not a banana republic?