Probe Lamu land deals, agency told

The anti-corruption commission has been asked to investigate two of three companies that were allocated 100,000 acres of land to grow sugarcane in Lamu County.

Lamu Sugar Company, Rusken International and Mat International were each given 30,000 acres of land in Witu to start sugarcane projects.

But some councillors have raised alarm over the allotments and called on the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate two companies.

Former Lamu County chairman Hassan Al-Beity, councillors Hussein Taib (Faza/Tchundwa) and Abdullahi Guracho (Dideworide) at the weekend claimed that Rusken International and Lamu Sugar Company were not registered and are owned by powerful politicians including Cabinet ministers.

They accused town clerk Patrick Ouya and council chairman Abdulkassim Ahmed of misleading the councillors to approve the allocations made in a full council meeting in November last year.

“We have discovered that some Lands ministry officials, a minister and a former Lamu councillor shared the said 100,000 of acres of land in Witu and Dideworide wards and have since received allotment letters,” said Mr Guracho.

Mr Al-Beity called on the parliamentary select committee on Land and Natural resources to investigate the two companies.

“We need different government agencies to come into this matter because it seems some people want to enrich themselves through dubious means,” he added.

The councillors said their efforts to contact the directors of the two companies over the project had hit a snag.

“The Local Government Act does not give powers to the clerk to dish out land to investors without the approval of the councillors and the directors of such companies have to appear in person to seek land for their projects,” they said.

Mr Taib further claimed that similar schemes were used around Hindi Magogoni area, were powerful government officials have awarded themselves hundreds of acres of land set as side for the Lamu port project.