60-year-old farmers co-op seeks Ruto's help to reclaim allegedly grabbed 3,000 acres

Drumvale Farmers' Cooperative Society Chairman Felix Maingi Nguo. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Members of the troubled Drumvale Farmers’ Co-operative Society have appealed to President William Ruto to intervene and assist them get title deeds.

Further they want Dr Ruto help them recover grabbed parcels by powerful individuals.

The sixty-year-old society formerly in Machakos County but later curved to Nairobi County, has a membership of 1,472 with a total of 16,000 acres of land - 3,000 which have allegedly been grabbed by land cartels and influential individuals in government.

Led by the society's chairman Felix Maingi, at Kamulu trading center along Nairobi/Kangundo, the angry members mostly elderly, pleaded with the President to intervene immediately and assist them to recover their grabbed land and issue them with title deeds.

According to Maingi, a majority of the members are ailing, while some have already died. 

Maingi said they have been entangled in numerous court land ownership disputes, a situation that is depriving them the right to enjoy their property. 

The official complained that efforts to seek audience from government offices over their grievances have been futile.

Members of the society expressed their frustrations, recounting how on countless occasions, hired goons have attempted to evict them from the expansive land.

The society's problems are traced to 2009 when the then Ministry of Co-operatives ordered liquidation of the society for failure to file returns, a decision that was later overturned by the court but since then nothing has been resolved. 

Maingi claimed that the illegally acquired 3,189 acres have either been developed or re-sold to third parties by the powerful cartels with the blessings of unscrupulous government officials. 

"The reason why we want President's intervention is to remove the cartels, which have been part and parcel to our unending problems," said Maingi. 

He appealed to Ukambani leaders to join effort and intervene in the matter since the property "belonged" to the community.

"We wonder why our elected leaders have remained mum in the matter despite it directly affecting their people," said Maingi.