Leaders give verdict on Qatar deal

Key politicians and religious leaders from the Coast Province have supported the Government’s decision to lease out 40,000 hectares of land that Qatar is seeking to grow food in the Tana Delta.

However, Tourism minister Najib Balala said citizens in the affected areas should be consulted first before the deal can be approved.

“If the proposed land is idle, then it should be leased to Qatar so as to develop it,” Mr Balala said in a telephone interview with the Nation on Sunday.

His views were supported by Malindi MP Gideon Mung’aro and Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya organising-secretary Sheikh Mohamed Khalifa.

But Coast Parliamentary Group chairman Benedict Fondo opposed the deal as did Law Society of Kenya vice-chairman James Mwamu.

Mr Fondo said the government of Qatar should fund the project so that it could be undertaken by Kenyans themselves.

Mr Mwamu criticised the Government for considering leasing land to a foreign government, yet it had not taken any serious steps to address the land crisis in the country.

Build sea port

Under the proposed project, the government of Qatar will give Kenya Sh180 billion that will be used to build a second sea port at Lamu and build roads and railways linking the region to the Ethiopian and Southern Sudan borders.

While defending the deal at the weekend, the director of the Presidential Press Service, Mr Isaiya Kabira, said the projects would open up the region for which the Government had no comprehensive development plan.

Mr Balala said those living in the affected area must have a say over the proposed project because it might affect their lives.

“I am sure the Tana Delta residents will benefit from job opportunities and improve their standard of living,” he said.

Supporting Mr Balala, Mr Mung’aro said it would be wrong for the authorities to lease the land to Qatar without the involvement of local residents, who have over the years been using the delta for agriculture and livestock farming.

“Issues of land are very sensitive and therefore it is important for the Government to consult the residents about its plan,” he said.

But Mr Fondo said it was unnecessary for the Government to lease the land to Qatar to grow fruits and vegetables, yet Kenyans could grow the horticultural products if they got funding.

“Let Qatar assist the country with funding so that locals can implement the project. In this, we shall empower the villagers,” he said.

Sheikh Khalifa asked the Government to lease the land as this was not “a new idea”. According to him, many foreigners own huge tracts of land in Kenya.

“In upcountry and some parts of the Coast region, there are some foreigners who were leased large parcels of land by the Government to undertake various agricultural projects,” the cleric said.

Controversy has in the past dogged some projects fronted by various companies seeking to grow sugarcane in the Tana Delta, with pastoralists and environmentalists opposing the multi-million shillings projects.

The pastoralists said the projects would deny them range lands for their animals, while the environmentalists said growing sugarcane would lead to the extinction of some plant and animal species in the delta.