KAJIADO, Kenya — The Kajiado County Government has issued a 14-day ultimatum to traders, developers, and businesses operating illegally on road reserves across the county, warning that enforcement action will follow if the structures are not removed.
In a notice issued on Friday, County Executive Committee Member for Lands, Physical Planning, Housing, Urban Development, and Municipalities, Hamilton Parsayo said the county had observed increasing encroachment on road corridors within and outside urban centres.
“The County Government hereby notifies the public of enforcement against illegal businesses and structures encroaching on road reserves within and outside all urban centres in the county,” Parsayo said.
According to the county official, inspections carried out across towns and market centres revealed numerous unauthorized developments occupying land reserved for road infrastructure.
“It has been observed with concern that several developers, businesses, and individuals are carrying out trading activities and have erected temporary and/or permanent structures on designated road reserves,” he said.
Authorities identified several common forms of encroachment, including kiosks, roadside stalls, signboards and building projections extending into road corridors.
The county also cited the sale of construction materials along road reserves, temporary or permanent structures built within road corridors and roadside trading activities that obstruct the movement of pedestrians and vehicles.
Parsayo said such activities pose significant risks to public safety and disrupt normal transport operations in municipalities and market centres.
“Such activities obstruct traffic, compromise public safety and undermine order and livability of our municipalities, towns and market centres,” he added.
The county government has directed all affected traders and property owners to remove the illegal structures and vacate the road reserves within 14 days.
“All affected owners or occupiers are hereby directed to voluntarily remove the above-mentioned structures and cease trading on road reserves within fourteen days from the date of this notice,” Parsayo said.
He added that the affected areas must be restored to their original condition and traders must ensure their merchandise remains within their business premises.
Authorities warned that failure to comply with the directive will result in forced demolition and clearance of the illegal structures.
“Upon expiry of this notice, the County Government of Kajiado, in collaboration with relevant agencies, will clear all encroachments without further reference, and the costs incurred shall be recovered from responsible parties,” Parsayo said.
The directive comes days after the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) issued a similar warning to traders occupying sections of the Thika Superhighway road reserve.
In a statement released on March 5, KeNHA said its Corridor C Management team had recirculated enforcement notices to traders operating within restricted areas at Delview, Kihunguro, and Allsops.
The authority said the move followed the lapse of an earlier notice issued on February 23 directing traders to vacate the encroached sections.
KeNHA explained that the enforcement exercise forms part of broader road safety and corridor management initiatives aimed at reducing accidents, protecting highway infrastructure, and ensuring unobstructed traffic flow along one of Kenya’s busiest transport corridors.
Authorities have warned that traders who fail to comply with the notices risk the removal of illegal structures under highway management regulations.
