Going by history, public land set aside for the construction of airports has tended to attract its fair share of grabbers, thanks to its expansive nature and the slow pace of development of this kind of infrastructure.
Therefore, it is not a surprise to hear that there are more than 85 parcels of land held by the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) facing title disputes, including 46 at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), the country’s main international gateway.
It is expected that down the road, these airports and airstrips will be constructed or expanded, and therefore will need enough space and wayleave both for security and safety reasons.
MPs are, therefore, right to call on the KAA to ensure that the land in question is physically shielded from grabbers, even as the disputes are being resolved.
Going by the examples we have seen so far in the case of JKIA and Wilson airports, remedying the situation after the land has been taken up illegally by developers is a laborious, painful and expensive exercise, which has the potential to derail the development of this vital infrastructure.
The KAA and other State agencies should prevent this by keeping grabbers at bay in the first place.
