Governor Chepkwony puts Kericho land grabbers on notice

Addressing more than 400 residents during the inaugural public audit of county land, Prof Chepkwony said he would repossess the grabbed land. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Addressing more than 400 residents during the inaugural public audit of county land, Prof Chepkwony said he would repossess the grabbed land.
  • The county boss, who presented a list of 31 county-owned parcels with an estimated combined worth of more than Sh2.6billion, regretted that since independence, most of this land had not been surveyed, making it easy for cartels to grab big parcels with impunity.
  • He blamed the land problem in Kericho on officials of the national Ministry of Land who had been working in the county for too long.

Kericho Governor Paul Chepkwony has put senior government officials linked to the grabbing of hundreds of acres of public land in the county on notice, saying they will be jailed.
He said failure by the previous administrations to survey and document public land in Kericho had made it easy for cartels to steal the land, a practice that has been going on since 1963.

Addressing more than 400 residents during the inaugural public audit of county land, Prof Chepkwony said he would repossess the grabbed land.
“I will hunt down those responsible for the disappearance of public land, irrespective of their status, and whether they served in the national or county government, and recover our county’s wealth. No land will be stolen again from the people of Kericho,” he said.

UNSURVEYED LAND

The county boss, who presented a list of 31 county-owned parcels with an estimated combined worth of more than Sh2.6billion, regretted that since independence, most of this land had not been surveyed, making it easy for cartels to grab big parcels with impunity
Among the parcels said to be in the hands of cartels are 42 plots in quarter acres near the Kericho Prison, a piece owned by the Kenya Farmers, Association, and 1,700 acres of land in Sambret in south-west Mau.

Some parcels, including land in Kedowa in Londiani, were missing from the list.
“I don’t know what the actual list of our assets looks like, since I have only the one the defunct Transition Authority handed us. Today the law requires that incoming governors get comprehensive lists of county assets,” he said.

He added that this administration would set aside adequate funding this financial year for surveying and documenting all public land. In the 2017/2018 financial year, the county government budgeted Sh4 million for the creation of a lands register and a further Sh35 million for the development of county spatial plans.

NATIONAL CEREALS AND PRODUCE BOARD LAND GRABBED

Meanwhile, former Kericho Municipality Mayor Samuel Rugut said that part of the Somali Cemetery and Hindu Crematorium had been grabbed.

“The Green Stadium was a parking lot but some people have taken it and me hope something will be done to determine how they got the documents for the land.

“Even the land owned by the National Cereals and Produce Board has been grabbed and we want action taken against those involved,” said Mr Rugut.

He added that at the Brooke Bond Trading Centre, some people had encroached on the road reserve and put up a fuel station, adding that in some areas like Nyagacho, developers had destroyed water catchment areas.

He blamed the land problem in Kericho on officials of the national Ministry of Land who had been working in the county for too long and urged lands minister Jacob Kaimenyi to have them transferred to dismantle land cartels in the county.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Myoot Kipsigis Council of elders, Bishop Paul Leleito, praised the governor’s move and urged him to organise a public forum to discuss public land in Kericho, noting that the unprecedented move would usher in a new beginning for land administration in the county.

“The people’s wealth has been stolen by corrupt officials for years. Why can this land not be recovered? It is never too late to do that and today, we, as Kipsigis elders, are authorising the governor to do everything in his power to recover all stolen land. We will support him,” said Mr Leleito.

He further asked the governor to have the land around the Tulwaap Sigiis Cultural Site in Londiani Sub-county surveyed and a title deed processed, not only to protect it from land grabbers, but also to preserve the community’s heritage.