By The Citizen Reporter, Bunda
Tairo villagers in Bunda District, Mara Region, have asked the government to intervene a compensation row for land grabbed by the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in the district.
The villagers have threatened to sue EPZ if it fails to compensate them within a week from yesterday as per agreement between the two parties.
Tairo village government chairman, Mr Pius Gweso, told The Citizen that residents of Kirumi, Mabatini ‘B’ and Bushigwamala sub-villages, had resolved to recourse to court early next month.
The villagers complained of their stalled development activities because of being evicted without due compensation.
An agreement signed between the villagers and EPZ requires the villagers to stop developing their plots on grounds that all the evictees would be compensated for their land in 36 months time.
“Thirty six months elapsed last December, but we have neither been compensated nor given new plots to build houses.
Surprisingly, the company had compensated persons who did not own land at the village.
A few genuine land owners were paid paltry compensation and provided with evaluation documents whose copies were supposed to be handed over to the village government and to Bunda district authorities,’’ he said.
The Bunda district commissioner, Mr Francis Isaac, said he was aware of Tairo villagers’ complaints and that he would trace the documents in question for verification.
Clarifying on the matter to the villagers last January, EPZ engineer, Mr Keneth Haule, said his firm had paid out Sh1 billion to the DC’s office for compensation to the villagers.
The Citizen
