The National Land Commission (NLC) has started the process of compulsorily acquiring privately owned land in Wajir town for a proposed military air base, in a notice published in the Kenya Gazette on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

According to the notice, reported by the Eastleigh Voice and Kenyans.co.ke, the commission intends to acquire a 0.8401-hectare parcel registered as Wajir Township Block 2/1424 under Section 110 of the Land Act. The notice describes the project as the "Proposed Wajir Air Base Land Acquisition".

Inquiry and compensation

The NLC said a notice of inquiry will be published separately in the Gazette under Section 112 of the Land Act. At the inquiry, the commission hears from people with an interest in the land and determines who should be compensated and how much.

Plans of the affected land can be inspected at the commission's offices at Ardhi House, 1st Ngong Avenue, Nairobi. Landowners taking part in such inquiries are usually required to submit written compensation claims together with identification documents, KRA PINs, proof of ownership and bank details.

The Ministry of Defence has not publicly detailed the scale of the planned facility or what aircraft it would host.

A frontier county

Wajir borders Somalia and has for years been on the front line of Kenya's fight against cross-border attacks blamed on al-Shabaab militants, with security forces in the North Eastern region frequently targeted by roadside explosives and ambushes. A permanent military air facility in the county would put air assets closer to the border region.

Kenya's main military airfields at present are Moi Air Base in Eastleigh, Nairobi, which hosts the Kenya Air Force headquarters, and Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, the main fighter base, alongside smaller forward operating airstrips.

Other KDF and road acquisitions

The Wajir notice was published alongside several other acquisitions, according to Kenyans.co.ke:

  • About five acres adjoining Kenyatta Barracks in Nakuru, also for the military.
  • Two parcels totalling 303.55 hectares in Lamu for the LAPSSET corridor.
  • About 2.66 hectares in Kisii and Bomet for the Mugenu Bridge on the Kaplong-Kisii highway.
  • About 1.25 hectares for the Mahor River project on the Kilgoris-Longorian road.

Compulsory acquisition allows the State to take private land for public use, but the Constitution requires prompt payment of just compensation in full to the owners. Delayed payments have in the past triggered court battles between landowners and government agencies.

Photos: KDF via Kenyans.co.ke; President.go.ke via Kenyans.co.ke. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.