Thika bus park tussle: Kiambu County breathes easy as court halts eviction order
The ruling spares livelihoods of hundreds who depend on Thika’s busiest transport hub for daily income.
Kiambu County Government has secured temporary relief after the Environment and Lands Court suspended an order requiring it to vacate Makongeni bus park in Thika and surrender revenues collected since 2018 to the Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK).
The court’s decision followed an application by the county, which argued that negotiations for an out-of-court settlement were underway.
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Kiambu has reportedly offered PCK Sh315 million in compensation for two disputed parcels — a 4.7-acre plot in Makongeni, Thika, and a 1.5-acre plot in Kiambu town — both converted into bus parks under former Governor Ferdinand Waititu’s administration in 2018.
Justice Jacqueline Mogeni, while issuing the orders, directed the county to serve the application to the respondents within five days.
"Upon service, the respondents shall file their replying affidavit within five days," the court stated. The interim order will remain in force until November 20, 2025, when the case is scheduled for hearing.
The dispute dates back seven years. In October 2025, the court ruled in favour of PCK, finding that Kiambu County had unlawfully occupied the land since June 2018 without compensation or a formal lease agreement.
The ruling directed the county to cease operations at the site, hand over control to PCK, and remit all revenues collected from matatu operators during that period.
Originally idle, the land was repurposed in 2018 to ease congestion along Thika–Garissa Road and in Kiambu Town. Under Governor Kimani Wamatangi’s administration, the sites have been upgraded into modern bus parks, enhancing transport efficiency in the region.
PCK has maintained that the county had no legal claim to the property and has continued to pursue the matter in court. Postmaster-General John Tonui confirmed that PCK’s board had conditionally accepted the Sh315 million offer, pending approvals from the Ministry of Lands and the National Treasury. He also proposed a retrospective lease to cover the county’s occupation since 2018.
The Makongeni Bus Park remains one of the county’s key revenue streams, contributing to efforts to raise between Sh7 billion and Sh8 billion in annual own-source revenue (OSR) to support its Sh22 billion 2023/2024 budget.
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