MCAs oppose rampant public schools land grabbing in Kisumu

Land belonging to public schools in Kisumu town continues to get smaller by the day, thanks to culprits who have a field day minting millions of shillings at the expense of young learners’ public space.

It is for this reason that Kisumu County Assembly Members and education stakeholders have come out to arrest the rising trend. Milimani Market Ward MCA Edwin Anayo claims the latest victim of land fraud is Victoria Primary School that has lost six parcels.

He says the school has suffered immensely after it lost more than 20 acres to unscrupulous land dealers who he suspects might have conspired with some officials from the school. “Victoria School sits on two parcels of land; there are two other parcels comprising 20 acres found on top of Riat Hills. Ten acres were sold in 2012 and another 10 last year,” he says.

Mr Anayo says the land parcels were sold by powerful grabbers despite the fact that they have bore caveats.

“We do not have the six titles; they are in the hands of individuals. The parcels were not registered under the school’s name. Instead they were registered under Victoria Parents Association that made it easier to change,” he says. Anayo adds: “The first board did this without other parents knowing they were transacting.”

He says the 10-acre piece of land sold in June was cancelled after they gathered that the transactions had allegedly been done by the previous chairman.

He has therefore instructed schools to write to the lands registry to confirm status of their property, and to those who have misplaced titles to cancel previous ones and request for new ones because they might be in the hands of brokers looking for buyers. 

“The Victoria Primary School parcels are block 11/50, 11/27, 11/39, 11/40, Kisumu Dago/644 and Kisumu Dago 647. Kisumu Union and Kibuye Mixed Primary Schools had a problem in that the land they were to use for expansion was grabbed and sold. Joel Omino Primary School titles are also in tatters,” he says. Victoria Primary School head teacher Edward Omala says they are going to conduct a search to confirm if the land parcel Kisumu 644 has indeed been returned.

“Several of our pieces of land have been grabbed. They even tried selling parcel number Kisumu 644 behind my back. The person involved was the chairman of the board. Parents removed him recently,” he says. Early last year, pupils from Kisumu Union and Kibuye Mixed Primary Schools protested over allegations that their playground had been grabbed.

Controversial parcels

They went ahead to demolish a fence that had been erected in the land parcels and carried poles, twigs and iron sheets while chanting. 

This was after their school heads received a letter from some advocate instructing them not to trespass in the said parcel, contrary to which proceedings against them would be sought and payment of damages for their client, who they claimed was the lawful owner of the parcels made.

The letter stopped them from interfering with the controversial parcels number Kisumu Municipality/block 9/259,261 and 262 is said to have provoked demolition of the fence already erected. It was also copied to ACK Maseno South Diocese and head teachers of the two schools.

Kisumu Union’s Parents Teachers Association Chairman Jeckonia Owino says theirs has been a lot of struggle. This is because despite approaching the lands office with several stakeholders within the county and proving that the land is indeed theirs, they still don’t have good results.

“From the gate of Kisumu Union Primary School there is a church built on our land; next to the administration block there are houses built next to our assembly ground that was almost grabbed too. Before reaching Nyalenda Railways Estate, we have our playground that was also grabbed” Mr Owino reveals.

Owino says they still have another controversial parcel located behind Kibuye Mixed Primary School.

“We are yet to get the titles of these lands that have been sub-divided into portions yet our initial map shows they were all less than one parcel.

If the Lands Commission comes to Kisumu, we will see how to rescue our property,” he says. Nyalenda ‘A’ Ward MCA Jacktone Onunga says it is unfortunate that Joel Omino Primary School missed out of a German sponsored expansion project after its land was grabbed. “The county should put up a land control board with immediate effect. This has become a trend in Kisumu,” he says. Nominated MCA Farida Salim says other schools whose land has been grabbed in Kisumu include Kondele Primary School and Kisumu Girls High School.

“We have a justice and legal affairs committee in the assembly. We expect such cases to be brought to enable leaders act on the sensitive land issues for the grabbed ones to be returned. We commend Anayo for intervening and ensuring that one parcel of land belonging to Victoria Primary School has been returned,” she says.

Salim says the land grabbers who are economically empowered also target women who are vulnerable.

Kisumu DEO Alloice Mwita says there are many more schools in the area faced with similar predicaments.

“Kisumu Union Primary School’s land was returned but we are still pursuing the title deed. Victoria’ Primary School’s land that was sold in 2012 has not been sorted out although the most recent one that was almost sold we are trying to secure its titles,” Mr Mwita says.

He also says that land belonging to Kisumu Girls High School has been returned but claims he is not aware of Joel Omino’s land issue that apparently happened before his tenure. “There are many more public schools with land grabbing issues that need to be resolved as soon as possible,” he says.