Two ODM legislators have raised the alarm of a plot to grab 11, 000 hectares (27,181 acres) of Miwani Sugar Factory land by well-connected individuals.
MPs Onyango Koyoo (Muhoroni) and Caroli Omondi (Suba South) claimed powerful forces are out to grab the land that was freely given by the local communities to Kenya’s pioneering sugar industry.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament on Thursday, the MPs claimed the land, which was given by the neighbouring Luo and Kalenjin communities, is being transferred to private hands.
The transfer, they claimed, has the blessings of powerful forces in the broad-based government.
The grabbers, they said, were also friendly to the previous regime.
“There were similar attempts towards elections, but the community protested and thwarted the attempts; now they are back again,” Koyoo told journalists.
The Suba South legislator wondered why the government continues to flirt with impunity.
They cited a letter by Agriculture PS Kipronoh Rono directing the Kenya Sugar Board to facilitate the signing of a consent letter between the controversial owner and the government.
Ronoh, in the letter dated April 11, indicated the directive was sanctioned by a Cabinet meeting.
“Given that this matter has been deliberated at the Cabinet level, we respectfully direct you instruct your advocates as soon as possible, to facilitate the resolution of this dispute,” Ronoh said in the letter to the Kenya Sugar Board.
“Should you encounter any challenges that require attention from the ministry, please do not hesitate to contact me.”
According to the ODM lawmakers, the purported owners of the land are ‘fraudsters’, saying the Court of Appeal settled the matter of ownership in 2009.
They insisted it is public land that was freely donated by communities and nobody can claim ownership.
“The 11000 hectares of land (LR No 7545/3(IR 21038) was given by Luo (Kano) and Nandi people as nucleus estate for the Miwani Sugar. Miwani got into financial difficulties and was put under receivership,” Omondi said at Parliament Buildings.
“An individual by the name Nagendra Saxena (a front for Bire of Kibos Sugar) purported to have obtained an ex parte court order in civil case 225 of 1993 at Kisumu against Miwani for Sh114 million debt. Saxena has never been seen in court or anywhere. He does not exist. Efforts by EACC and DCI to trace him in Kenya and India proved futile.”
“On 24/12/2007- Bire/Kibos through their company Crossley Holdings Limited-purported to have purchased the Miwani land at an auction for Sh952 million to satisfy the money owed to Saxena. No evidence has ever been produced by them as to whom the Sh952 million was ever paid.”
Omondi now wants the government to halt the process of transferring the land, saying the Cabinet erred by sanction transfer when there is an active Court of Appeal ruling on the matter.
The lawmaker also dismissed the alleged action, saying the magistrate who purportedly issued the order denied ever giving such orders during proceedings at the Court of Appeal.
