Rironi–Mau Summit compensation hearings set for October

Land compensation for the expansion of the Rironi–Mau Summit highway has moved to the inquiry stage, with three National Land Commission hearings scheduled for October.

The hearings will cover listed parcels in Kiambu, Nyandarua and Nakuru counties. Registered owners and anyone else claiming an interest in those parcels will be expected to present their claims and supporting documents to the Commission.

The timetable appears in Kenya Gazette Vol. CXXVIII No. 152, published on August 28. Gazette Notice No. 13923 gives notice of the intended compulsory acquisition on behalf of the Kenya National Highways Authority, while Notice No. 13924 sets the inquiry dates.

This is not a notice that compensation has been paid. The inquiry is the legal step at which claims and interests in the affected land are examined before compensation awards are made.

The three inquiry dates

All three sessions will be conducted by the National Land Commission. The chiefs’ offices and the Deputy County Commissioner’s office are the venues, not the bodies deciding the claims.

A claimant should use the parcel number and registry section in the Gazette to identify the correct hearing. Relying on a name alone may be misleading because some ownership entries are marked “TBD”.

What claimants must submit

Every person claiming compensation should lodge a written claim on or before the inquiry date for the relevant area. Individual claimants should attach:

• A copy of their national identity card
• A KRA PIN certificate
• A title, search, agreement or other record showing ownership or another interest in the land
• Bank account details

Companies should provide:

• A certificate of incorporation
• A current CR12
• The company’s KRA PIN certificate
• Identification documents and KRA PIN certificates for the directors

Where land is held through an estate, company, co-ownership or another arrangement, the person appearing should also carry records showing the interest claimed and their authority to act.

Claims may be delivered to the National Land Commission at Ardhi House, 3rd Floor, Room 305, 1st Ngong Avenue, Nairobi, or to the relevant NLC county coordinator’s office. Filing a claim does not replace attendance at the inquiry assigned to the parcel’s registry section.

What the inquiry will decide

Section 112 of the Land Act provides for an inquiry into land identified for compulsory acquisition. The process gives the Commission an opportunity to establish who has a valid interest, examine the evidence and hear the compensation claim before making an award.

That means the notice may concern more than the person named as proprietor. Co-owners, tenants with a documented interest, companies, estate representatives and other claimants should check the parcel schedule and prepare evidence supporting their position.

The Gazette does not state what each parcel owner will receive or when payment will be made. Those questions follow the inquiry and award process. Any message presenting the October dates as payout dates would therefore be inaccurate.

How much land is affected

A tally of the Gazette schedules puts the affected land at about 14.5 hectares: approximately 3.89 hectares in Kiambu, 0.94 hectares in Nyandarua and 9.70 hectares in Nakuru. Kenyans.co.ke also reported that breakdown from the listed parcels.

The figures describe the land listed in these notices. They are not compensation values, and they should not be used to estimate what an individual claimant may receive.

Why the timing matters for the highway

The inquiries come while construction is under way along a route that carries passenger traffic, farm produce and freight between Nairobi, Nakuru and western Kenya.

The National Treasury’s June 2026 public-private partnership status report put the project’s estimated value at Sh192.6 billion. It covers about 233.9 kilometres across the Rironi–Mau Summit route and the South Rironi–Mai Mahiu–Naivasha section.

KeNHA Director-General Luka Kimeli said in July that the road was targeting completion in June 2027, while noting that the pace would increase as land and utility access became available. People Daily reported the two construction sections at about 15 per cent and 10 per cent complete at the time.

The compensation process therefore matters on both sides of the project. Landholders need a clear route to have their interests recognised, while contractors need lawful access to land before work can progress through affected sections.

What affected landholders should do now

1. Find the parcel number in Gazette Notice No. 13923 and confirm the registry section.
2. Note the matching venue, date and time in Notice No. 13924.
3. Assemble identification, tax, ownership and bank records before the deadline.
4. Lodge a written claim with the NLC and retain copies of everything submitted.
5. Attend the assigned inquiry with the original supporting records where available.

Anyone dealing with a succession case, boundary dispute, competing claim or missing ownership record may need professional advice before the hearing.

Editor’s note: This report provides public information from the Kenya Gazette and is not individual legal advice.