Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Daily Nation
Published on 2024-02-01 14:57:37
President William Ruto recently ordered the repossession of 2,700 acres of illegally acquired Kenya Prisons Service land in Kitale. Just two weeks after this directive, the government has started erecting beacons on the property.
With a security team arriving on the land in 10 vehicles and riot gear, locals watched from a distance in fear as the beacons were being erected. This sudden activity has caused anxiety among the residents in the area.
The operation to erect beacons on the land was led by Deputy Commissioner of Prisons Charles Mutembei and included officers from the National Police Service, the Prisons Service, and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). Officials from the Ministry of Lands supervised the exercise.
The President’s warning to those who had occupied Kitale Prison land on January 16 caused tension in the county as he threatened eviction and prosecution for the illegal occupants. The individuals occupying the land are considered to be well-connected and influential, further escalating the tension in the community.
Beacons were erected in areas such as Wamuini, Kephis, Mali Tatu, Top Station Primary, Mitambo, and Annex Prison area, catching the residents off guard.
The armed security officers, without any resistance from the beneficiaries of the land, carried out the operation, including Kitale West Sub-county OCPD Patrick Gaitarira and his Kwanza counterpart, James Odera. The heavy police presence brought business in certain areas to a standstill.
When questioned about the exercise, Mutembei declined to comment, stating they were only implementing government directives. The residents who were interviewed hoped for a compensation plan for those who unknowingly bought the land from the grabbers.
Additionally, Boniface Wanyoike, a Programme Officer at the Justice and Peace Centre, called for a systematic and thorough identification of the beneficiaries of the land. He emphasized the importance of assisting victims who bought the land without knowing it was government land through compensation.
The land in question is part of what was captured in the Ndung’u Report on Historical Injustices, which named 424 individuals and entities, including state firms, accused of irregular land acquisition and illegal land acquisitions that occurred during the regime of President Daniel arap Moi.
Some of the large tracts of land have not been developed and have been left for individuals to farm or leased to farmers. Others have been used for serious development investments, including rentals, apartments, houses, churches, and other private facilities.
The evictions were planned against the backdrop of congestion in prison facilities and deplorable housing conditions for prison officers in Kitale prisons, further highlighting the importance of reclaiming the land for the government.
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