Take what land owners give you, Swazuri tells squatters

National Land Commission chairman Muhammad Swazuri addresses residents at Manda Trading Centre on April 8, 2016. He has directed squatters who invaded land belonging to a private company in Mwakirunge and Bamburi, Kisauni Sub-County, to accept the 1,000 acres they were offered and “stop demanding for more”. PHOTO | KALUME KAZUNGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • NLC chairman Muhammad Swazuri said the occupiers of Thathini Development Company land did not have a right to demand for the entire parcel.
  • The land owners had agreed to cede 25 per cent of the 4,322 acres to settle them.
  • County Lands and Housing Executive Anthony Njaramba blamed the NLC for going into negotiations with the land owners without involving all the parties.
  • Prof Swazuri said negotiations could not have been possible with all the parties.

The National Land Commission (NLC) has directed squatters who invaded land belonging to a private company at Mwakirunge and Bamburi, Kisauni Sub-County, to accept the 1,000 acres they were offered and “stop demanding for more”.

NLC chairman Muhammad Swazuri said the occupiers of Thathini Development Company land did not have the right to demand the entire parcel, adding that the owners had agreed to cede 25 per cent of the 4,322 acres to settle them.

“What the squatters don’t want to admit is that the land is not theirs,” Prof Swazuri said on Monday. “There is no way you can ask for consideration to be given a portion and then you demand the entire piece, because that is what they are asking for.

“According to the law, the land belongs to the person with the title and any other ownership has to be negotiated. We are trying to solve land disputes involving squatters but they should also understand that anything we do has to be within the law.”

OWNERS REPRESENTED

County Lands and Housing Executive Anthony Njaramba, however, blamed the stalemate on the NLC, saying it went into negotiations with the owners without involving all the parties.

“We met in November and the commission, the county, the squatters and the owners were represented,” said Mr Njaramba. “But then, when it came to negotiations, the commission went in alone, leading to rejection of the offer by the squatters.”

Prof Swazuri, however, said negotiations could not have been possible with all the parties. He said: “After the initial meeting, it was the responsibility of the commission to talk to the owners and then communicate the decision to the other parties.”

At a meeting at Marimani Primary School, the squatters claimed that some people had been sent to survey the land and subdivide the 1,000 acres.

But Sammy Gitundu, the chairman of the squatter settlement task force, said there were no such plans. Mr Njaramba also said he was not aware of such a survey.

Mr Gitundu said the company’s 1,200 shareholders agreed to give away 25 per cent of their shares to settle squatters on the parcel of land.

“We have had several meetings with shareholders,” he said. “Each one of us is ready to cede 25 per cent of our entitlement.”

The tussle in Bamburi comes at a time when there has been a resurgence of land invasions at the Coast, where people have occupied land claiming the leases had expired.

After a similar invasion in Kilifi County, the national government negotiated with Evanson Waitiki and bought part of his land for Sh1.2 billion to settle 4,600 squatters.