A dispute has erupted between a section of residents of the posh Karen estate and a developer who is planning to put up a hostel facility in the area after area university students sided with the developer during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Kenya School of Law.
The residents, mainly land owners in the area, are up in arms against the project claiming Karen estate is a low density population settlement and putting up the hostels will cause depreciation of their land value.
The Karen land owners also raised concerns over the influx of students which they are apprehensive will cause chaos in case of protests and general truancy.
The public participation meeting organised by the National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) almost turned ugly as the group of residents and students differed publicly forcing the residents to walk out in protest.
The students mounted pressure on the residents to allow the company to put up the living facilities for students following the existing legal frameworks.
But former PS Romano Kiome said they will not allow the construction of the hostels in the area because of putting pressure on social infrastructure.
Spruce Limited, the developer of Qwetu and Kijani Hostels, is preparing to build a facility along Bogani East road near the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) to house around 3,000 students. – Nairobi News
