You misled President over Bomet varsity land, CS told

Over 100 former civic leaders in Bomet have accused acting Lands Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i of misleading the President in allocating land for the proposed Sh500 million university.

The leaders, led by former mayor David Sang, also want Deputy President William Ruto and local MPs, among them senator Wilfred Lesan, to apologise ‘for misleading the head of State into issuing title deeds for land that does not exist’.

“President Kenyatta is a honest man, he issued the title believing leaders around him had told him the truth. We don’t blame Uhuru for what he did, it is his lieutenants who misled him,” Mr Sang said in a statement the leaders signed.

Mr Sang noted the land for which title were issued has been earmarked for construction of a showground and a 37,000-capacity stadium.

“What we don’t understand is whether the national government will flatten the stadium already under construction and what plans it has for the show ground”, he said.

He said residents had agreed the new university should be set up on the 65-acre land at Sigor High School, as had been decided by the Moi University Senate and the Bomet County Education Board.

“The decision to have the new university established in Bomet Town without consulting the county government means there are leaders in the national government who do not respect devolution,” Mr Sang added.

SWAZURI LAUDED

He lauded NLC chairman Muhammad Swazuri for distancing himself from the “illegal allocation of land” in the county.

“If NLC chairman has denounced the title deeds, who is Matiang’i to say otherwise? Due process was not followed,” Mr Sang added.

The drama has further fuelled the supremacy wars between deputy president Ruto and the Bomet governor. The governor insists that his government was not consulted on the matter and accused Matiang’i of engaging in “public propaganda”.

“That land was earmarked for a stadium and the county government has already committed Sh100 million to the project,” governor Ruto said recently, adding the land was also given out without involvement of the National Land Commission (NLC).

Governor Ruto, who has been pushing for the university to be set up at Siongoroi in Chepalungu, 50km from Bomet Town, has termed the issuing of the title illegal.

Debate over the university land has deepened rifts in the county further, with some leaders allied to the governor calling for withdrawal of the title deeds to allow for consultations.

Some MPs, led by Mr Lesan, have defended the manner in which the national government acquired the titles.

Governor Ruto says the title deed issued two weeks ago during a visit by President Kenyatta and his deputy during a church fundraiser was fake.

ILLEGAL DOCUMENT

Dr Matiang’i has dismissed as inaccurate claims by governor Ruto that the title deed was illegal. He maintained that due process was followed in issuing the title and that claims by the governor should be ignored.

At the same time, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Joyce Laboso has criticsed the Bomet governor over claims that the President issued a fake title deed for the proposed university land.

Ms Laboso, who is also the Sotik MP, yesterday accused Mr Ruto of being “selfish and egocentric” for attempting to stall the Sh500 million project.

“We are concerned that this continuous bickering over the venue for the Bomet University might cost us this huge project,” she said in her constituency.