Reports Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City
The Kenya government plan to build an ultra-modern cultural center in Alego Kogelo Nyang’oma village in honor of the US President Barack Obama might be scuttled as a result of family feuds over the choice of the land parcel meant for the project.
The government through the Ministry of National Heritage is said to have set aside close to Kshs 100 million fore the project.
But report emerging from Siaya district says is a bitter wrangling between the two groups of the villagers over which parcel of land the project could be built.
One group is said to have offered a five acre land parcel for the project for free. But the other group is insisting in having their cut in the deal and is offering an alternative land in which it is asking for colossal sums of money for compensation. The issue is said to have already degenerated a lot of animosity among the villagers.
Monetary interests is said to be the source of disagreement, which could easily derail this important project meant for the sleepy and dusty village, which is the ancestral land of the US President Barack Obama. Immediately Obama who has a Kenyan parentage blood got elected the President of the United States numerous delegation visited Nyang’oma village making it the most attractive tourist destination in Western Kenya.
Kenya’s Minister for National Heritage William Ole Ntimama had led a team of his top Ministry official on a tour of the area and declared that Kogelo village would be turned to be part of Western Kenya tourist circuit, and that the government would built a cultural center ion the form of a community hall where the work of the late Barrack Hussein Obama Snr, the father of the US President would be restored and stored.
The announcement was most welcome by the entire resident of the Luo-Nyanza region and in other parts of Kenya. However, as soon as the villagers realized that the government plan was not the hot hair, but a reality, some of them immediately set on motion the schemes about how they could benefit from the project.
New building on permanent materials sprung up and began mushrooming the dust Nyang’oma market. Others established eating places and shops. One resident initiated an hotel project within the vicinity between Senator Barack Obama Secondary School and Nyang’oma market. The hotel project is now half completed.
The government carried out the gravelling of the murrum road linking Nyang’oma Market and Ndori market in Asembo,Rarieda constituency. The government ordered for the power supply to the village, schools and the marketplace. It also constructed water supply to the village including the home of President Obama’s step grand mother Mama Sarah Obama, which was also placed under the power supply. And all things looked well set for the massive face-lifting of Nyang’oma village.
The nominated Councilor Nicholas Owino Rajula, the man who constructed the medium hotel at Nyang’oma also offered his own land measuring 5 acres to the government for free so that the Cultural Center or a community hall could be built on it. This, however, did not please the group which thought that the time and chances of minting millions of shilling in land compensation had arrived.
At the centre of the controversy is said to be a senior civil servant serving the government in Western Province and hails from Nyang’oma{name withheld}. The group alleged purchase some land parcels and made an alternative offer.
The group is said to have also influenced the Obama family, and even made an attempt to influence the technical experts posted by the government to work on the project’s modality, and this became the genesis of the squabbles.
A week ago Mrs Ida Odinga, the wife of the Prime Minister Raila Odinga is said to have visited Nyang’oma home of the Obamas at the invitation of the 88 year old mama Sarah Obama the step grand mother of the US President and made an attempt to reconcile the two warring group. Details of Mrs Odinga’s trip, however, are scant, meaning the dispute is still far from over.
Other unconfirmed reports says the group opposed to the land being given for free is contemplating moving to court with the view to stop the construction of the project, and to ensure that only their land and not the one offered for free should be utilized.
Other sources have confided to us that land certificates related to the parcels offered and affidavits sworn by the group which is seeking millions of shillings in compensation were later discovered to have been fake .
Unless the controversy is sorted out quickly the plan to establish Barack Obama’s Cultural Center in Kogelo, Nyangoma, could be a pipe dream. The government is said to have already allocated Kshs 4 million for the logistic and as initial advance for the project.
Reach by phone Coun.Rajula, who at one time had been acting as the spokesman of the Obama family confirmed that the problem persist and asked this writer to contact the Siaya D>C. fore further details. But the D>C could not be reached immediately.
He blamed it on monetary interests because some people want to harvest cheap money from where they did not shed their sweats. But expressed confidence that the government would soon resolved the matter.
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leooderaomolo@yahoo.com