Taita Taveta iron ore venture on track after election of ranch officials

When President William Ruto and Devki Chairman Narendra Raval commissioned of the Sh11 billion stell plant at Manga in Taita-Taveta County. [File, Standard] After over two decades of false starts, Taita Taveta's iron ore project is on track following the election of a new committee for the owners of the mineral-rich 14,500-acre ranch. The management of Kishushe Ranch Cooperative Society has had a series of disputes over the years, resulting in the emergence of at least three distinct factions. In recent months, the wrangles among the 700 shareholders from seven locations have threatened the Sh11 billion steel plant investment by Devki Group. On Tuesday, the Kishushe Ranch Cooperative shareholders held a special general meeting (SGM) and elected 12 officials to spearhead talks with prospective investors. The new officials are Matilda Walegwa (chairperson), Wilfred Mwalimo (ranch secretary), and Newton Mwakilenge (treasurer). However, the two firms, Devki Group of Companies and Archers Post Investment Limited, that have applied for iron ore mining have split the county's leadership in two. After the elections, Taita Taveta Deputy Governor Christine Kilalo clashed with Walegwa on who should give Devki consent to extract iron ore for his steel plant in Manga, near Voi. The 45-year lease was issued to Devki Group of Companies to extract iron ore at the ranch for its Sh11 billion steel plant, with some executives disowning the land deal. Kilalo said the lease was issued by one of the factions. Some executive members have said they do not recognise it, as the county administration was not involved. According to the lease agreement, Devki took over the ranch on December 1, 2024, at a consideration of Sh 100 for every tonne of iron ore extracted from the land. It states that the firm will also pay Sh 50,000 per month for the entire land from the date of commencement of the commercial mining and extraction of iron ore. Yesterday, Walegwa claimed that the land deal has a huge gap and grey arrears, and they do not recognise it, saying all shareholders were not involved in the deal. Kilalo said Governor Andrew Mwadime has the mandate to approve the issuance of any mining consent to potential investors willing to invest in the region. "The governor was elected by the people to make decisions on their behalf, and he has the right to issue mining consents to investors like Devki, who is putting up a steel plant for the benefit of the local community. As a county government, we have a stake and a say in engaging with any investor, and this should not be left to landowners. The governor did not break any law in bringing the investor to invest in the county," she told the SGM. "And any investor must come to the governor first to seek approval, like what Devki did," Kilalo defended the county administration for working with Devki. Kilalo's remarks did not, however, go down well with the ranch officials, who warned the county administration against meddling in the affairs of the ranch. Ms Walegwa warned that her management will not allow investors to come through the back door. She, however, clarified that they were not opposed to Devki extracting minerals for his plant in the ranch, but the investor must seek consent from the ranch owners and not from the county. "We have no problem with Devki. Let him come and face us, and the company will be considered alongside other investors. We will not allow Devki or any other investor to come through the back door," warned Walegwa. She said among the investors given mining consents in the ranch are Archer's Post and Universal. "The two companies came and met shareholders who gave them approval in the AGM, and Devki should not be exceptional. Let other investors follow suit," added the official. At the same time, Walegwa said the new office bearers do not recognise the land deal signed between Devki, the county government, and one of the former ranch factions. "As far as we are concerned, the controversial land deal issued to Devki is illegal, and we will not allow any investor to be imposed on us as landowners," she told Kilalo and her team. In August of this year, Phillip Uluma, a senior deputy commissioner of cooperative development, dissolved the three warring factions of the ranch and installed an interim committee to clean up the register. This culminated in the SGM presided over by a senior county cooperative officer, Nixon Mwadime. Mwalimo said the new management will develop a 10-year strategic plan for the ranch, which will prioritise mining, tourism, and livestock development as core businesses for the benefit of shareholders. "We will put in place proper structures to revive the rundown ranch, which is endowed with enormous precious and industrial minerals," stated the official. Mwashako urged the local community to rise up and defend their deprived land rights in the wake of the recent eviction of locals from their ancestral land in Taveta Sub-County. "We have, of late, seen invasion and grabbing of community land by people from outside. And locals should rise up and defend their land from grabbers," noted the opposition legislator.

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