Farmers along the Adama–Awash expressway construction corridor in the Amhara Region face property destruction, uncompensated crop clearing, and administrative boundary disputes
By Staff Writer
(Nairobi, Kenya) — Farmers in Amora Bet Kebele, located within Menjar Shenkora Woreda of the North Shewa Zone in the Amhara Region, face severe property destruction and identity disputes linked to the construction of the Nazareth/Adama–Awash expressway project.
The Adama–Awash asphalt route, a critical segment of the trade corridor connecting Ethiopia to Djibouti, was rerouted westward to bypass landslide hazards and protect existing infrastructure. The realigned route cuts directly through Melka Jilo emerging town in Amora Bet Kebele. However, local land users report that rather than delivering economic benefits, the project has triggered deep tensions regarding territorial boundaries, administrative jurisdiction, and property compensation rights.
Farmers in Amora Bet Kebele state that contractors clearing the rights-of-way are destroying actively cultivated crops without prior assessment or settlement. Affected residents report that municipal and project representatives are instructing them to obtain new identity cards from Boset Woreda in the East Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region as an absolute prerequisite for submitting compensation claims.
Local property owners state that officials have threatened them with immediate eviction if they do not vacate the project path or alter their regional administrative affiliation, setting a deadline for mid-September 2026. Community members assert that their families have lived continuously under the administration of Menjar Shenkora Woreda in North Shewa Zone for generations, describing the demand to swap regional documentation as an unjust condition for receiving statutory compensation.
Residents emphasize that while local communities previously maintained peace along the zonal boundary, the current clearing operations and administrative demands threaten their economic livelihoods and land rights. Affected farmers expressed strong disappointment over the absence of formal intervention from the Menjar Shenkora Woreda Administration, the North Shewa Zone, and the Amhara Regional State government.
Displaced families and local agricultural operators continue to call on federal transport authorities and regional government leadership to intervene immediately, suspend uncompensated property clearing, resolve jurisdictional ambiguities, and protect their legal rights to fair compensation.
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