Farmers' union wants land given to State back

By Joseph Masha

A farmers’ union in Kilifi County has threatened to go to court to block a private developer in Malindi from donating a piece of land for a public recreational ground.

They are arguing that the land in question officially belonged to them.

The executive committee of Kilifi County Farmers Co-operative Union, led by its Chairlady Fatuma Mwakidudu, expressed concerns that a private developer claiming to be the legal owner of the piece of land which initially used to hold Sindbad Hotel and donated it to the Government.

Permanent secretary

The developer handed over the land to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources Ali Mohamed who had visited Malindi District.

According to the union Manager Herbal Randu, the land under dispute and the hotel used to be the property of the union but some corrupt people irregularly sold it off to a private developer.

"Legally Kilifi Farmers Cooperative Union owned the piece of land and which it had developed by putting up a tourist hotel some years ago but due to some problems facing its management, some corrupt individuals capitalised on that and irregularly sold the land," he said.

Speaking to The Standard in Kilifi town yesterday, the union officials expressed shock at media reports that a private developer had donated the land to the community through the Government to be used as a recreational site.

Shocked

"As a union we have been following up this matter to ensure the property goes back to the hands of the farmers and we were shocked last week when we read in the newspapers that the land has been donated by the said developer," said Mrs Mwakidudu.

Randu noted that the union had petitioned the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) to intervene and ensure justice is done.

"When TJRC came to get grievances of the people of Kilifi, we officially handed over the issue to the commissioners and as we are waiting for some actions, a private developer goes ahead to dispose of the land," he said.

Mrs Mwakidudu said the union was prepared to file a court injunction to block the alleged donation of the union land.

Legal action

"The land in dispute is the property of Kilifi Farmers Co-operative Union and the executive committee of the Union on behalf of its former members will seek legal actions to block the alleged donation of the land," she said.