[Source: The Standard, by Moses Nyamori]
Residents of Murang’a County have accused Del Monte, a multi-national fruit processor, of holding thousands of acres of idle land.
Kandara Residents Association told National Assembly’s Lands Committee chaired by Rachael Nyamai that the firm was only utilising 7,000 acres, leaving 15,000 idle.
They insisted that the firm acquired the land illegally more than five decades ago.
Documents tabled by the Lands Ministry indicate that the firm sits on 2,900 acres, while documents tabled by the petitioners indicated 22,000 acres.
The discrepancy emerged when Lands Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Gideon Mung’aro appeared before the committee.
The association’s chairman, Philip Kamau, told the MPs that it wants some 8,000 acres taken by the firm in the 60s returned.
The association further said that the firm was not qualified to renew its lease, arguing that a foreign firm is not entitled to enjoy “pre-emptive right of extension of lease.”
Kamau also claimed that the firm has been providing misleading information indicating that it was locally owned.
Kamau told the committee that the association would provide evidence to confirm that the only claim to ownership that the firm has on the land it occupies are agreements.
The MPs, however, criticised the association for failing to prove that Murang’a county government had renewed the lease in favour of Del Monte.
The association defended the petition, saying the National Lands Commission had recommended the land be surveyed afresh and the surplus reverted to the public.
The petitioners further told the committee that the Supreme Court gave an advisory opinion that locals must be involved before any lease can be renewed.
Del Monte’s land lease in Kiambu County expires at the end of this year, while the one in Murang’a expires in 2022.
[Full article: The Standard, by Moses Nyamori]
