Land deal aggravates the woes of Kenya Railways retirees

While the hardships of Kenya's railroad retirees worsen, officials of the former Kenya Railways Workers Association, the umbrella organization for all retirees from the institution, expressed the fear of losing 10 of their properties.

They read a secret plot to defraud them of their properties.

"The Nairobi County Government and the sole corporate trustee, Corporate and Pension Trust Services Ltd., have come up with a land exchange system." Henry Toili, secretary of the Former Railway Workers' Association of Kenya

The documents published by the Sunday Nation show that the Nairobi County Government is claiming up to 10% of Sh8.54 billion of unpaid land. These are the plots in Matumbato, Muthurwa, Railways Club, Ngong Road, Hurlingham, Good Shed, Landmawe and Ngara in Nairobi

"The 10-piece rates must be paid or canceled by the government. "The county government calculated the land rights accumulated from the time of the late former East African Railway Company, which was active before independence. "

. All we have to pay, we should only be paying the rates as of October 2006, when the Kenya Railways Staff Retirement Scheme (KRSBS) was formed, "said James Kanyeki, Secretary General. of the former Kenya Railway Workers Association

detailed agreement between the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura), the registered administrators of the Kenya Railway Personnel Pension Scheme (KRSBS) and the Nairobi County Government, signed in February, baderts that the Corporate Trustee of the regime has held several meetings and has given the appropriate approval offering the ground to settle the outstanding statutory debt.

Retirees have, however, distanced from the agreement. "We have not met the Corporate Trustee – Corporate and Pension Trust Services Ltd. for the past four years. This agreement is foreign to us and as retirees we consider it illegal and fraudulent, "said Mr. Toili, the last time the members of the regime called an annual general meeting in 2014.

" There are also has issues surrounding the legality of the only trustee company, Corporate and Pension Trust Services Ltd. Of the 30 pension plan administrators authorized by the RBA, the name Corporate and Pension Trust Services Ltd. is nowhere to be found, "said Mr. Toil.

Officials say that if the land is traded, retirees risk losing any compensation they expect from the government following a Nairobi construction plan.The viaduct, which could see the Wakulima market relocated to Muthurwa Property

"The current market rate in the Central Business District of Nairobi is Sh 500 million per acre. We know that there are five acres devoted to the relocation of the Wakulima market to the Muthurwa estate, for which the government is supposed to indemnify the members of the scheme at the current market rate of 2.5 billion shillings. If this land is exchanged, the members will lose this compensation, "said Kanyeki.

" Those who claim to trade our lands have their eyes on the Big Four Agenda on Affordable Housing. They know that the parcels would be well compensated following the inauguration of September, "said Mr. Toili.

Officials now want the president to come to the rescue of retirees." We have deprived vulnerable pensioners who saved for this property that was given to us by the government in 2006 in exchange for 17 billion shillings – the savings of the members, "he said

. Mr. President, extend your repression of corruption to the Kenya Railroad Staff Benefit Plan and their agent, "said Mr. Toili