Sonko claims Waititu doesn’t know what is riparian land

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has lashed out at his Kiambu counterpart Ferdinand Waititu for criticising the on-going demolition of buildings constructed on riparian lands in Nairobi.

Governor Sonko, through a Facebook post, asked Waititu to keep off Nairobi County affairs and focus service delivery in his county.

“My good friend and colleague should concentrate on his county. He (Waititu) should know we don’t mix friendship with work,” read Sonko’s post on Facebook.

Governor Waititu on Sunday,  August 12 had suggested that instead of demolishing buildings built on riparian land, the river should be redirected away from the buildings.

“I do not support the issue of demolitions. If your building is close to a river, you should incur the costs of having the river moved a little further. But demolishing a building is not a solution, honestly speaking. It is such a big loss,” said Waititu.

Sonko insisted that no building lying on wetlands in Nairobi will be spared no matter who the owns the property.

“Even Weston, my Buruburu Casurina Cocobeach plot, Taj Mall and many other buildings shall not be spared if found to be riparian or public land,” said Sonko in the post.

In the same post, Sonko hilariously suggested that perhaps Waititu did not know what is riparian land, further claiming that the Kiambu Governor copied him during exams while they were in campus.

“May be he does not know what is the definition of riparian land and that’s why even in campus he was copying me during CATS,” read the post.