The hearing of a case in which two former governors have been sued for encroachment on riparian land around Lake Victoria will be heard in November.
The date was set by deputy registrar Maureen Shimenga. The matter will be handled by Judge Anthony Ombwayo.
In the case, former Kisumu governor Jack Ranguma, his Nairobi counterpart Evans Kidero and former Environment Secretary Alice Kaudia were sued for encroaching on riparian land around Lake Victoria.
The case will be heard on November 18 when the court is expected to address a survey report on the plot by Kidero before the Environment and Land Court.
In December 2018, Ranguma and Kaudia were restricted from engaging in activities likely to cause environmental harm in Lake Victoria after being found to have extended their parcels onto the lake reserve.
Environment and Land Court Justice S.M Kibunja issued the order back then. This came after the court adopted a survey report that revealed that the two encroached on the land.
The two are the proprietors of Kisumu/Korando 3755, 3756 and Kisumu/Kogony/3583.
The survey was carried out following a court order that a surveyor and lands registrar establish the boundaries of the plots in a legal suit of the lake reserve.
In 2013, Magnam Environmental Network chairman Michael Nyaguti sued Ranguma, Kaudia and Kidero for encroachment. Also sued were the National Environment Management Authority and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.
Nyaguti told the court that the politicians had already fenced off plots beyond their demarcated boundaries. He said there was a need for the case to be expedited because encroachment on land in Kisumu was becoming a major concern.
In his findings, surveyor Geoffrey Mbok indicated that Ranguma had fenced off part of the lake reserve with a concrete fence. He said the extent of encroachment was of a triangular shape with an approximate area of about 0.2 acres.
Under Kaudia’s plot No 3583, the environment secretary was found to have fenced off part of the lake reserve together with the access road along the lake.
“There are two semi-permanent houses that have been erected in this fenced region of the lake reserve. The access road along the lake as indicated on the map is not in use as per the time of the survey,” Mbok said.
A site visit to the five plots belonging to Kidero was never carried out because of unavailability of the map in the Lands ministry.
