‘It Is Shameful,’ Matiang’i Tells Senior Gov’t Officials Accused Of Stealing Prisons Land

KIAMBU,Kenya, Mar, 7 – Current and former senior government officials have been put on the spot for allegedly enchroaching and forcefully grabbing thousands of acres of land belonging to the Kenya Prisons Service.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i said that the government has already began a process of repossessing Prisons land amidst worrying trends of massive development projects by private developers on land that was wrongfully obtained.

Matiang’i even likened the list of land grabbers to that akin to list of senior government officials.

“We have started a very active process of titling prison lands,when you look at the list of people that have stolen prison lands, it reads like the list of who is who has been a minister, PS or commissioner general of prisons service before…it is shameful honestly,” a tough talking mAtiang’i said.

He faulted some government officials of failing on their mandate to protect public wealth and in turn end up enriching themselves.

“Some senior public officials have taken prisons land, when you go around the country, the challenges we are facing, the people who have been given the responsibility to manage this institution are the ones who have encroached on prisons land. Just look at Yatta, (G.K prison)” he said.

The massive land grabbing is said to have interfered with government efforts to embark on a an ambitious expansion programme that would also cater to housing for some of the prions staff.

“In the next phase we are looking at how can we use the capabilities that we have and avail them too members of the public that live within the vicinity of this facility, that his how people that care of the country think…meanwhile we should ask these people (land grabbers) if they have any conscious left,”

Matiang’i spoke after inspecting the ongoing construction of a level four hospital at GK Prison in Ruiru, Kiambu County.

The facility is under construction by the national government as part of its health transformation program.

Meanwhile Matiag;i said that the government has already disbursed Sh3.4 billion towards settling pending bills.

Pending bills in prison service have in the past attracted the involvement of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and even the DCI over fraud allegations.

“We have started the aggressive process of titling and we will work with the national lands commission, we have to look at the law, the law we have and others have…we will not act on powers we do not have, we will present our report to the national lands commission,