Saturday, June 15, 2013

Councillor got Sh1m in Riara school land row


Friday, June 14, 2013 - 00:00 -- BY RAMADHAN RAJAB

DETAILS are emerging of how a member of Nairobi county assembly, Jairo Atenya Asitiba, received Sh1 million to facilitate the take-over of a road reserve by Riara Springs Primary and Secondary School in Imara Daima estate. The revelation comes as residents of Mukuru kwa Njenga gave a week’s ultimatum for the road to be opened failure to which they will demolish the school section sitting on the road.
Papers in our possession show Jairo accepted Sh1 mil- lion paid in two installments of Sh700,000 on October 1, 2009 and Sh300,000 eight days later when he was councillor for Imara Daima in Embakasi. “I have received Sh1 million from Riara Group of Schools as fee for assisting them build a road from the village to Embakasi Girls School,” reads part of the two letters drawn in Kiswahili and signed by Jairo. The signature was witnessed by Samson Kiriga, the Group Finance Manager of Riara Group. In a telephone interview, Jairo yesterday admitted having received the cash which he claimed was meant to facilitate construction of an alternate route for residents.
“I received the money which I used to create a road near the railway line for the locals to use because it is not acceptable to have a road inside a school (Riara),” he said. “I will not allow even today for that school to be demolished to pave way for the road you are talking about because my political opponents have regrouped and are using that to fight me,” he said.
On Thursday, residents in Mukuru tried to pull down a perimetre wall to the school to pave way for the construction of the road but area DO convened a meeting between the school and residents to discuss their differences. The meeting failed to kick off yesterday morning after the DO failed to turn up. Residents have vowed to demolish the school on the expiry of their ultimatum. Residents said the 25 metre wide exit road was sealed off 10 years ago by the school which opened an alternate route through Kenya Railways land.
A resident said since the closure of the road by the school, firefighting engines, ambulances and other heavy vehicles have been unable to access the slum for emergency purposes. The school management has declined to comment on the matter. Phone calls on the general and mobile lines of Riara Group of Schools Executive Director Alan Gachukia did not get response.
- See more at: http://the-star.co.ke/news/article-124246/councillor-got-sh1m-riara-school-land-row#sthash.PS4NQQ8F.dpuf

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