November 26, 2024

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Karoney on the spot over Del Monte land

The Ministry of Lands usurped the powers of the National Land Commission (NLC) when it allocated disputed public land to Kiambu and Murang’a counties.

The Ministry of Lands usurped the powers of the National Land Commission (NLC) when it allocated disputed public land to Kiambu and Murang’a counties.

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The Ministry of Lands usurped the powers of the National Land Commission (NLC) when it allocated disputed public land to Kiambu and Murang’a counties.

Members of the Implementation Committee of the National Assembly now want Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney and Principal Secretary Nicholas Muraguri to be named for allocating more than 8,000 acres of land, which is illegally owned by Del Monte Company Limited.

“The ministry has blatantly acted against the law by allocating the said piece of land even after the commission directed that it be allocated to Kandara Residents Association,” said committee chairman Moitalel ole Kenta during a meeting which the ministry officials snubbed.

 Kenta told People Daily that the matter had dragged for a long time saying that his committee will not allow the ministry to delay it any further.

Ownership documents Lawyer Duncan Okatch, representing the residents, said the piece of land in question was surrendered to the government vide memorandum of transfer in 1973.

 “The NLC has confirmed that the land was surrendered to the government and is now public land, what the commission doesn’t have is ownership documents from Ardhi House,” Okatch told the committee.

Ministry of Lands, the committee heard, surveyed the land and went ahead to propose for the allocation, which is not their mandate.

 The residents, who had petitioned Parliament to hear and determine the dispute between them and the fruit processors, want to be allocated 70 per cent of the land and the remaining 30 per cent be given to the two counties as per the NLC Kenya gazette notice no 1995 dated 1/3/2021.

“The two counties never asked for land as per NLC chairman report to Parliament, therefore, the ministry should have recommended the land be given to the Association,” the association says in a report to the commitee.

credit:PD