Investors putting up warehouses at Syokimau on land located between standard gauge railway (SGR) and Nairobi National Park are set to incur huge losses after the government halted the developments.
Tourism Secretary Najib Balala directed Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) director-general John Waweru to take possession of the land and erect a perimeter fence around the property, reiterating it was government land.
State agencies have in the past demolished estates and shanties in the area, notably in 2011 when Kenya Airports Authority brought down mansions worth hundreds of millions and structures encroaching on airport land.
Owners of the structures in Syokimau and nearby Kyangombe were never compensated.
“We have noticed some people are putting up godowns on a 1.6 kilometre stretch behind Syokimau train terminus on the western boundary of the park. The director-general should investigate and give recommendations on actions needed to remedy the situation,” he said.
The godown investments come a year after Nairobi Inland Container Depot that holds up to 450,000 20-feet containers was opened, creating new businesses for private operators of container freight stations.
Mr Balala further directed investigations across all national parks and reserves to safeguard wildlife sanctuaries for posterity.
“No encroachment will be allowed into any wildlife sanctuary and any attempt to tamper with designated boundaries will be dealt with firmly as per the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, 2013,” he said in a statement.
The minister said the KWS had since been posted on the site and the developers barred from accessing it to collect building materials or continue with construction works.
Established in 1946, the park measures 117.2-kilometre square and is the only one in the world located next to a capital city.
In 2011, dozens of expensive middle-class homes on irregularly acquired land were bulldozed leaving many homeowners distraught.
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