A Thika Court orders Kiambu County to process Tatu City building approvals in 30 days.
The Environment and Land
Court in Thika has ordered the Kiambu County Government to process building
approvals submitted by Tatu City within the next 30 days.
The directive came after
the developer sought the court’s intervention under certificate of agency in
which they accused Governor Ferdinand Waititu of blackmail after they declined
to surrender a portion of land in order to facilitate approval of architectural
designs in 22 land parcels within the county.
In court papers filed on
March 12, the applicant sought an expedited ex-parte hearing after the county
reportedly disregarded a court order issued on April 18, 2018, which directed
the Land, Housing, and Physical Planning department to consider architectural
plans within the 90-day period provided for under the Physical Planning Rules
of 1998, pending determination of the case.
The applicant had also
moved to commit the Chief Executive Committee member and Chief Officer in
charge of Land, Housing, and Physical Planning to civil jail over contempt of
court.
Tatu City told the court
that intimidation by county officials was prejudicial to its business
operations.
“The developers will no
longer be able to preserve, promote, and enhance land value through sustainable
development within Tatu City by guaranteeing development control which
minimizes negative impacts of developments through enforcement of design
guideline compliance,” lawyers representing Tatu City told the court.
The matter will be heard
on May 8 to confirm compliance with the order. Waititu and developer have been
locked in a row after the investor declined to surrender 10 per cent of its
5,000-acre land to the county.
The court will give
further directions on the matter upon confirming compliance on May 21.
Meanwhile, Tatu City has
installed its first solar power plant to generate at least 1.4 million
kilowatt-hours per year, the same amount of energy consumed by 8,500 people.
The panels by Equator
Energy are part of the mixed-use development ambitious 30MW solar power
generation. The installation comprises of 2,880 solar modules that have been
mounted on 5,700 square meters of roof space at Dormans Coffee’s global
headquarters at Tatu Industrial Park.
Tatu City’s strategy is
to install solar panels on all rooftops at the industrial park, producing up to
30 MW, said Nick Langford, Head of Utilities for Rendeavour, Tatu City’s owner
and developer.
“The power will be
distributed for use by homes and businesses within the city,” said Langford.
“Solar power allows us to
contribute to clean energy, which is one of the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals,” Langford said.
“The power produced from
the solar panels will be distributed for use by homes and businesses within the
city. We are proud of this milestone and pleased to know that residents will
enjoy sustained power supply at very minimal costs.”
Equator Energy CEO
Sebastian Noethlich said, “This is our latest, and one of Kenya’s largest solar
power plants. We are excited to see it in operation and delivering cheaper and
cleaner power to an entire city. We look forward to rolling out more solar
power as Tatu City grows.”
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