22 Billion Golf Course and an Airstrip for Nyandarua county

Nyandarua is to get its first private golf resort that is expected to employ up to 1,500 residents.

Officially giving the Mt Kipipiri Golf Resort the green light on Tuesday, Governor Daniel Waithaka said his government would work with the Chinese investors to ensure it is completed in time.

Governor Waithaka praised the investors for choosing the location, which is at the foot of the Aberdare Mountains, and falls under the tourist circuit connecting Nairobi and the northern circuit of Isiolo, Marsabit and Laikipia.

The Sh22 billion resort is being built on a 1,400-acre farm previously owned by former spy chief James Kanyotu.

Construction equipment is already on the site and the resort is expected to be completed in five years.

It will comprise an airstrip, 600 villas and an 18-hole golf course under the management of Chief Executive Young Moon Choi, Managing Director Harish Ramji Patel and Director Robert Njoroge.

Mr Njoroge said an existing airstrip would be modernised and part of the farm not taken up by buildings will be used to grow crops like strawberries that are not available from farmers in the area.

Nyandarua MCAs Sh30m recreation centre

According to the assembly’s strategic plan, the recreation facility would help improve the social interaction and health of its members and enable the House have a vibrant membership. However residents termed the move improper saying the money would be better spent on basic needs such as water, food and electricity which a number of Nyandarua’s residents go without.
The protests over the recreation facility ensued just as the dust settled over the Sh5 million the Nyandarua MCAs awarded themselves each as car and house loans.

The citizen’s group ‘Nyandarua Tuko Macho Forum’ has since threatened to move to court to oppose the move.
The chairman of the forum Macharia Mukua said that the actions of the MCAs went contrary to the expectations of the residents who were struggling to make ends meet.
“We will do everything possible to stop the assembly from misusing these funds which would be otherwise useful to the residents. This money is enough to put up murram roads for two wards and we will move to court to block the assembly from going on with the project,” he told the press in Nyahururu town.
The chairman expressed regret at the County Assemblies way of conducting business and demanded greater public participation.
“The law is very clear that there should have been public participation before any penny is spent and we wonder who they consulted before approving the spending of this kind of money,” he posed.
Fellow protester Faith Gitau condemned the move vowed to mobilize the public to take part in protests.
“I will personally lead the public protests as we cannot allow the money to be used to benefit just a few people. This is contrary to what we expected,” she said.