OMUTHIYA -When one moves around Omuthiya, the impression is that there is available residential and business land, but sadly, this is not the case.

The plots here have been sold but for years remain undeveloped and the town council will soon start repossessing them.
The Omuthiya Town Council says it will soon be hot on the heels of such individuals, whose plots will be repossessed because they have failed to develop them over a two-year window period that they were given to build houses or businesses on these plots.

Council sent out reminders and follow-up letters to the clients, a process which the CEO of Omuthiya, Samuel Mbango said is the first step before they can take action upon culprits. Those whose plots are to be repossessed will be barred from acquiring plots for certain years, and council will charge a 10 percent stake of the amount then reimburse the difference. Close to 100 plots have been allocated and remain undeveloped and will soon be reclaimed. 

“We have been making follow ups and people have been giving various reasons such as failure to secure a loan, while some request for an extension to give them time to source for funds,” said Mbango, without revealing when exactly this process would come into effect.

On a brighter side, there are 309 fully serviced plots at Extension 5 ready for allocation, while a further 322 is being serviced at Extension 8 and are nearing completion. 

Omuthiya has a housing backlog of 2000. Since 2012, council spent N$91 million to service land for new townships.
Council had stopped servicing land in 2015 because of the subdued economic climate.

“Serving of land takes about three years, since the completion of Extension 5 which began in 2013 and ended in 2015, we were unable to do anything as there was no funds. It was until 2017/18 financial year that we got funds and resumed,” said Mbango while addressing a recurrent concern from the public that council has been dragging its feet in providing land. 
In the same vein, he dismissed the notion that, council was unable to render services efficiently due to political interference, saying, “the only interference we are getting is from the communities creating groups and instigate other to refuse to vacate the township land despite being compensated in order to pave way for development.”
“There is no influence from our politicians, internally or externally, we have a good relationship,” added Mbango.