Activist petitions court to stop Sh 62B JKIA-Westlands expressway for lack of public participation

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The president of Bunge la mwananchi has moved to court seeking orders stoping the implementation and construction of the Jomo Kenyatta Airport-westlands expressway.

Henry Shitanda argues that there was no notice nor public participation in the Sh 62 billion process.

“The design, negotiations, structures and planning was done in secrecy and the poly decision to establish or formulate the aforesaid designs or the said express way was as well done and formulated in secrecy in an opaque manner and without the involvement of the members of the public of any other persons to be affected by the intended construction,” claims the bunge president.

Shitanda is seeking an order to prohibit the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) and the attorney general from undertaking or implementing the construction of the said expressway until they conduct public participation and involve the people in the said project per the public finance management Act among others.

“There was no notice, publication or dissemination of information relating to the said project was ever made to the members of the public and the project as it stands offends the constitutional values and principles of public participation and the involvement of the people in financial matters,” says Shitanda.

President Uhuru Kenyatta in conjunction with KeNHA presided over the launch of the JKIA expressway on 16th October 2019.

The four-lane road caused upror from the members of the public upon knowledge that the project would take away part of the famous Uhuru Park.

However, the road was redesigned and it was confirmed by the ministry if transport that the park would not be affected.

The expressway is a 27 kilometer stretch linking Mlolongo and JKIA to the Nairobi Nakuru Highway and is expected to reduce traffic from Mlolongo to Rironi inKiambu county through Westlands.