Nyamira residents have been warned against constructing houses on land meant for roads, saying they may face demolition in case of road expansion.
Speaking on Wednesday during inspection of the ongoing construction of Metamaywa-Kebirigo road, Kevin Monari of Kenya Urban Roads Authority said his department will not hesitate to demolish such buildings as required by the law.
He lamented that many residents were still building along the major highways despite being warned on several occasions by his department.
“The law is very clear about this (building along highways) and we will not relent in fighting the impunity. I will order demolition as soon as possible to safeguard land belonging to the government,” Monari said.
“We have warned you people severally and on this one, you have to bear with me because the law ought to be respected,” Monari added.
He said the move aims at reducing road fatalities in case of accidents, besides giving room for expansion of highways to accommodate increasing traffic in the region.
“I am not doing this in bad faith. In many occasions, we have seen vehicles veering off the road and plunging into houses, killing innocent people. It is also clear that there may arise need to expand the road and it is good to take a precaution,” he said.
Already, over 50 people have suffered huge losses following demolitions to allow construction of the road linking Nyamira through Kebirigo market from Metamaywa junction.