Murang’a residents denied 7,447 acres of Del Monte land

The Lands ministry has denied Murang’a residents 7,447 acres of State land held by multinational fruit juice processor Del Monte.

Lands Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney now says there is no excess land as LR No 12203/1/2, whose lease expired in July 2019, had been allocated to the Kiambu County.

Parliament had ordered the Director of Survey to resurvey the entire land Del Monte Kenya Limited holds.

The National Land Commission had in a Legal Notice No 1995, dated March 1, 2021, ordered that any excess land be shared between the locals and the two counties on a 70-30 percent basis.

Kandara Residents Association had petitioned Parliament to direct the Land ministry to allocate residents public land that is under Del Monte.

The Committee on Implementation of House Resolutions last week accused Ms Karoney of usurping the powers of the NLC by proposing that the land be given to the county government instead of residents who had petitioned for allocation of the same.

“The Cabinet secretary is usurping the powers of NLC, which is unconstitutional,” Moitalel ole Kenta, who chairs the committee, said.

The committee met with the Kandara Residents Association to receive their views following the ministry’s verdict.

The committee had earlier demanded to know the circumstances under which the land that was said to have been surrendered by two companies, Sassa Coffee and Rappit B. Limited were later irregularly acquired by Del Monte Kenya Limited.

The two companies had in 1973 surrendered LR No 12158 measuring 2,900 acres in Murang’a County that is registered in the name of Del Monte Kenya. The land was an amalgamation of L.R Nos. 10862, 11312, 2953, 4873 and 11146.

NLC chairperson Gershom Otachi had in earlier submissions to the committee said the parcels of land were originally owned by Chui Estates Limited up to 1973 when, through a memorandum of registration transfer of lands and at a consideration of Sh2 million, they were transferred to the government of Kenya. The transfer was executed in 1973.

“The commission, however, taking note of the passage of time and parties involved in the transaction could not unearth further details that necessitated the transfer nor amalgamation of the said parcels of land,” Mr Otachi told the committee when he appeared alongside Ms Karoney.