Upgrading of Tassia Estate a housing development scheme in Nairobi, including construction of a 90.4km tarmac road that will be fitted with culverts and storm water drainage system and lighting, will cost US$56m.
Each of the owners of the plots is expected to contribute a sum of 920,000 Kenya Shillings for the infrastructure projects. This caused discontent amongst the property owners, citing mischief and breech of the contract signed between the two parties when acquiring the plots. The owners also questioned the method by which China Jiangxi was awarded the tender for the construction works, since they were not consulted.
The High Court in Nairobi has given the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) the go ahead to ask the developers of property in Tassia estate to foot the bills for construction of the roads in the area.
NSSF had sold the plots in 2003 and had advertised for construction works including roads, electrical installations, sewerage and plumbing works. The plot had been sold to residents in the area who had spent millions of shillings to get the land from NSSF. The residents have been forced to deal with impassable roads and poor drainage systems.
720 plots were sold through tenants purchase scheme and were disposed off as unsurveyed and unplanned parcels. The estate has about 5,500 tenants who risk their plots being auctioned if they are not able to come with the amount required for the development.
While dismissing the case, Justice Wendo Korir directed the petitioners to foot the legal costs that the NSSF incurred while defending the case. She dismissed the case, stating that the owners had agreed to meet the cost of the construction works when they were acquiring the plots.
