- Shamakhokho residents in Vihiga County are set to receive compensation after waiting 19 years.
- KSh115.4 million has been transferred to the National Land Commission for payment processing.
- The land was acquired in 2007 for construction of the Kipsigak-Serem-Shamakhokho Road.
- The Ombudsman says its intervention helped unlock the stalled compensation process.
- The National Land Commission has been urged to complete payments within 30 days.
Residents of Shamakhokho in Vihiga County are set to receive compensation for land acquired for the Kipsigak-Serem-Shamakhokho Road, bringing fresh hope to families that have waited nearly two decades for payment.
The Commission on Administrative Justice, commonly known as the Office of the Ombudsman, announced on Friday that KSh115,419,689 had been transferred by the State Department for Roads through the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) to the National Land Commission (NLC) on May 6, 2026.
The Ombudsman described the transfer as a major breakthrough in a dispute that dates back to 2007.
According to the Commission, the affected residents complained that their land was compulsorily acquired in 2007 for the road project but compensation was never paid.
The residents formally lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman’s Kisumu Regional Office in 2017, although they had earlier written to the Ministry of Transport in May 2012 seeking intervention.
The case became one of the longest-running compensation disputes involving a public infrastructure project in western Kenya.
The Ombudsman said several factors slowed the compensation process over the years. These included valuation disputes, changes in the legal framework governing compulsory acquisition and prolonged coordination between KeRRA and the NLC.
A joint inspection and valuation exercise was conducted in July 2018, while public inquiries and hearings for affected claimants were held in April 2021.
Despite those steps, payment remained stalled because of funding challenges.
The Commission said it continued following up the matter after KeRRA cited budgetary constraints and the NLC indicated that compensation awards had already been prepared but funds were still required.
After repeated delays, the Ombudsman escalated the case to the Principal Secretary in the State Department for Roads.
The matter took a new turn when the Principal Secretary failed to appear before the Commission on July 7, 2026 despite being summoned.
Following the failure to attend the summons, the Ombudsman recommended prosecution under Section 52 of the Commission on Administrative Justice Act and issued a Notice to Show Cause.
The Commission has since withdrawn the notice after confirming that the compensation funds were transferred to the NLC.
However, it clarified that the recommendation for prosecution remains active because no lawful explanation was provided for the Principal Secretary’s absence from the scheduled hearing.
The Ombudsman has now asked the National Land Commission to process and disburse the compensation to the affected landowners without further delay.
The Commission also directed the NLC to provide a progress report within 30 days detailing verification of claimants, compensation awards and completion of payments.
For many families in Shamakhokho, the announcement marks the first concrete sign that compensation may finally be paid after 19 years of uncertainty.
The case also highlights the persistent challenges that often accompany compulsory land acquisition for public infrastructure projects in Kenya, including delays in valuation, funding and coordination between government agencies.
