The Senate Lands Committee has launched a fact-finding mission in Lang’ata, Nairobi, following a bitter land dispute at Phenom Estate, where residents accuse a private developer linked to the Shwaminarayan group of grabbing a parcel of land long preserved as a children’s playground.
The committee visited the estate after residents petitioned the Senate to intervene, claiming the disputed land—now under active development—was originally designated as a public play area. They lamented that construction began without any form of public participation, contrary to legal requirements for community engagement on land-use changes.
During the site visit, senators criticized the Nairobi County Government for failing to provide clarity on approvals issued for the development. They termed the matter urgent and called for immediate accountability from county officials to determine whether due process was followed.
Meanwhile, in a separate proceeding, the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) has accused Isiolo and Kericho county governors of contempt of Parliament for repeatedly snubbing scheduled audit meetings. The committee said their failure to appear contravenes Article 73 of the Constitution, which outlines the responsibilities of state officers, including accountability and integrity in public service.
CPAC has now summoned the two governors to appear in early December and vowed to continue its sittings during the December recess to clear the backlog of county audit reports, particularly those for the 2023/2024 financial year.
