Iron out issues over Del Monte land lease

The renewal of the lease for fruit processing firm Del Monte land played out in last year’s governors’ elections in Kiambu and Murang’a counties with several contenders giving conditions to be met before the renewal of the expired lease. The 10,000-acre piece of land straddles the two counties.

A year later and with elections settled, it has fallen on Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu and Mwangi Wa Iria, his Murang’a County counterpart, to take or reject the lease to the land mostly used for growing pineapples for the local and export markets. Kenya is the world’s fifth largest pineapple exporter.

But all doesn’t seem well. In fact, the back and forth between the two governors is risking the whole arrangement.

What is coming out is that the right to own property gets threatened when politics comes in. Whereas Mr Waititu has signed a renewal agreement with the Del Monte owners, Mr Wa Iria has dithered asking for what he believes is a good deal for his county.

But there is no missing the political undertones. Such needless tussles as those seen between the company- the biggest employer in the area- and Kiambu and Murang’a Counties are not good for business.