New owner takes up Yala project

View of expansive Dominion farms in Siaya County in a picture taken on October 14, 2018. [Denish Ochieng/Standard]

A controversy-ridden agricultural project at Yala swamp in Siaya County has changed hands after years of bickering.

The company that started the project, Dominion Farms, has officially handed over to Lake Agro Ltd, ending wrangles over 3,700 hectares of the swamp that had been leased to Dominion.

The business transfer was announced in a legal notice published in the Kenya Gazette and a local daily on Monday, which indicated the ownership changed hands on January 13, 2020.

There has been confusion over the project’s future after it emerged that the Siaya County Government was in talks with various firms.

The transfer was signed by Kaplan & Straton law firm for Dominion Farms and O&M Law for Lake Agro.

Former employees of the rice farming project are, however, anxious on who will pay their dues running into millions of shillings.

Dominion Farms suspended its operations on November 10, 2017, leaving more than 350 workers jobless.

The investor, Calvin Burgess, who had worked at the swamp for over 15 years cited political frustrations which he claimed had made it difficult to continue.

According to the workers, Dominion owes them over Sh350 million and suppliers Sh900 million.

The county government, in January last year, presented a request by Dominion Farms to the county assembly to transfer its lease to Lake Agro Limited.

County leaders have welcomed the new owners, but demanded that the money owed former employees and suppliers be paid before the company starts operations.

The gazette notice said the transfer of the business (Dominion) would pay all the liabilities.