By John Kariuki
Naivasha Member of Parliament Hon. Jayne Kihara has accused President William Ruto’s administration of orchestrating a silent land grab and favouritism in state appointments within Naivasha.
She has demanded that the Head of State publicly declare his personal interests in the ongoing developments on key parcels of land in the area.
Speaking in Naivasha, Hon. Kihara alleged that several public lands, including the Kenya Railways property, Naivasha Stadium land, and the Ndabibi Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) land, were being irregularly developed by individuals closely linked to the President.
“The people of Naivasha still remember how residents were violently evicted by Kenya Railways under the pretext of public development,” she said. “Ironically, those same lands are now under the control of the President’s close associates.”
Kihara disclosed that her attempts to engage the Kenya Railways Managing Director for clarification had been ignored, further fueling suspicion over the ongoing developments.
She urged the President to break his silence and come clean on the matter.
She expressed deep concern that the only stadium land in Naivasha had been converted into an affordable housing site without public participation.
“That land was meant for sports and youth development. Turning it into a housing project behind closed doors is an insult to our people,” she remarked.
The MP also questioned the handling of the Ndabibi ADC land, reminding the President that he had previously admitted owning part of it but had not explained the status of the remaining sections.
She said that private developers, aided by state machinery, had taken over the area, leaving residents in uncertainty.
Hon. Kihara further took issue with alleged irregularities in the compensation of Maai Mahiu flood victims, claiming that local administrators and senior officials were manipulating beneficiary lists to reward politically connected individuals.
She also condemned what she termed as “systemic nepotism” in recent appointments at Kenya Power and KenGen, where the majority of new recruits allegedly came from the President’s community.
“Out of about seventy job opportunities advertised, almost all went to outsiders. Our young people in Naivasha continue to suffer as opportunities are grabbed by a few well-connected individuals,” Kihara said.
She concluded by urging the government to uphold transparency, equality, and the rule of law, warning that the people of Naivasha would not tolerate continued exploitation and dispossession of their land and resources.
