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KMC land lost to grabbers, Orengo tells Parliament
Lands minister James Orengo. Photo/File
The Kenya Meat Commission does not know how much land it owns due to years of irregular allocation of its holdings to politicians and private developers.
Lands minister James Orengo told Parliament that the ministry was working with the Livestock Development counterpart to set up a team to establish exactly what land the commission owns.
He said the inventory would help the government disclose names of people who irregularly acquired huge tracts of land from KMC.
He said beneficiaries included MPs from Coast and Lower Eastern regions, parastatal heads, and influential private developers.
“If it is naming and shaming them, I am ready,” Mr Orengo said on Wednesday as he tabled a list of 14 parcels of land owned by KMC across the country.
The list showed that KMC, headquartered in Athi River, has huge tracts of land in Kitengela, Mombasa, Kwale, Mavoko-Mlolongo, Nanyuki, Riverside Drive, Kitisuru, and Kamukunji in Nairobi among other animal holding grounds spread across the country.
Among the grabbed land, Mr Orengo said, is LR 10029 (891 acres) in Kitengela, which was subdivided and part of it allocated as LR 22139.
He said that there was a dispute over who owns a sheep and goat ranch situated across Mavoko and Kajiado county councils.
Out of the land, 250 acres was given to a company called Masaai Impex, another 12.5 acres was dished out to Kenya-Olejude, 27.7 acres went to Kolia Properties (an association of MPs from Coast Province), and 24.7 acres was given to Akamba MPs by then President Daniel Moi.
Mr Orengo also said LR 11895 was allocated to the National Social Security Fund.
Dujis MP Aden Duale identified LR 337/187, a 25 acre piece of land located in Mavoko which has been converted into an 11 storey building, as part of the grabbed land. He said other KMC parcels of land in Nairobi’s Kamukunji had been grabbed.
“The parcels that were allocated no longer belong to KMC. We are exploring ways of having them returned and the titles revoked,” Mr Orengo said.
He said the Lands ministry would pursue options that include surrender of titles allocated to third parties, renewal or extension of leases where terms have expired, and revocation of titles.
Meanwhile, Parliament approved a motion calling on the Treasury to immediately pay teachers who retired between 1997 and 2003 pension amounting to Sh17.6 billion.
MPs said attorney-general Githu Muigai and the Controller of Budget, Ms Alice Odhiambo, were the only impediments to payment of Sh3.4 billion budgeted in the current fiscal year as ordered by the court.
