NLC to begin scrutiny of Lamu land titles

Politics and policy

Mr Tom Chavangi, chief executive National Land Commission. The commission will start public hearings on the controversial Lamu land allocations on Thursday. PHOTO | FILE 

In Summary

• The National Land Commission has received 22 files from the AG’s office on 500,000-acre land titles that President Uhuru Kenyatta wants revoked.
• The commission had received three memoranda from the public in response to a public notice it issued asking for those with submissions on the 500,000 acre land.
• At the end of July, Mr Kenyatta ordered the revocation of titles to the 500,000 acres of land allocated to 22 private companies and ranches saying it was acquired by corrupt means.

The National Land Commission (NLC) has received 22 files from the Attorney General’s office related to the 500,000-acre Lamu land allocations that President Uhuru Kenyatta wants revoked, paving the way for scrutiny of the titles.

Solicitor General Njee Muturi presented the files to the commission chief executive Tom Chavangi, setting the stage for the start of public hearings.

“Yesterday (Monday) we received the remaining 12 files from the Solicitor General. We had received 10 of the 22 files two weeks ago,” Mr Chavangi told the National Assembly committee on Land on Tuesday.

The commission had received three memoranda from the public in response to a public notice it issued asking for those with submissions on the 500,000 acre land.

“We are now set for a public hearing starting on Thursday at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC). The security situation in Lamu has forced the commission to conduct the hearings in Nairobi,” Mr Chavangi told Alex Mwiru, who chairs the Lands committee.

The MPs had invited NLC to provide a status report on investigations into the allocation of land.

“We have received a number of submissions from Wanjiku (ordinary citizens) from Lamu making claims for some of the 22 parcels of land. We will listen to them,” Mr Chavangi said.

The commission will retreat to make its recommendations after two weeks of public hearings.

At the end of July, Mr Kenyatta ordered the revocation of titles to the 500,000 acres of land allocated to 22 private companies and ranches saying it was acquired by corrupt means.

“We have established that between 2011 and 2012, almost 500,000 acres, which is about 70 per cent of the land within Lamu County available for settlement, was alienated to 22 private entities in dubious and corrupt means,” said Mr Kenyatta after meeting with religious and political leaders from Lamu.

“I have directed the revocation and repossessions of illegally allocated land in Lamu County,” he said.

The majority of the land transactions took place between April 2012 and November 2012, during a moratorium on the transfer of publicly-owned land in the months leading up to the 2013 General Election.

“If we find the land was acquired regularly, then we will regularise them. If we find that it was acquired illegally, we will repossess it and cancel the title deeds,” Mr Chavangi told the MPs.