Revealed: Big names feature in Kilifi ADC farm saga

Magarini MP Michael Kingi (centre) with local leaders address the media at Kisiwani controversial ADC farm in Sabaki in 2017. [File, Standard]

Big names in past governments have been linked to the disputed acquisition of land at the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) at Kisiwani farm in Sabaki, Magarini sub-county.

In the latest revelation, the former government officials, MPs, influential businessmen and well-connected civil servants shared among themselves 470 acres of land out of the original 900 acres.

Residents who are mostly squatters, expected to be allocated the land when the ADC project collapsed but were horrified to learn it was allocated to powerful people, instead.

The move even affected the ADC Kisiwani farm offices that are said to be in private hands and the National Land Commission (NLC) has insisted that the land was irregularly acquired.

Magarini MP Michael Kingi had presented a petition on behalf of Sabaki residents to Parliament where it was revealed that the ADC land was purchased in 1976 at a cost of Sh1.3 million exactly 11 years after the corporation was established through an Act of Parliament in 1965.

The allocations continued in the 1990s which saw many other powerful government officials get land and ADC permanently losing ownership, a move that has until today pitted ADC against residents of Sabaki.

Agriculture Chief Administrative Secretary Andrew Tuimur had a tough time before the National Assembly’s Agriculture Committee, and could not even name the powerful officials who acquired the 470-acre parcel of land for a song.

Tuimur said the powerful individuals served in past governments were allocated the prime land at the expense of the locals.

“We don’t have title deed for that farm. It is in people’s hands or companies so we are just basically also like squatters there,” said Tuimur.

Original use

Coast regional managing director of ADC, Mohamed Bule, said efforts to reclaim the land were futile since they lacked ownership documents for the land, adding that the Kisiwani farm offices had been sold out.

“On several occasions we have invited the police but they are always on the side of the title holder, sometimes the police tell us unless we have an eviction order from the court their hands are tied,” said Mr Bule.

Those whose names found themselves in the list of more than 200 beneficiaries presented to the committee on Wednesday include a former Cabinet minister who was allocated 25.2 acres. Another ex-minister from Nyanza, 17.8 acres while another from Coast was given 18 acres.

According to this list, a former provincial commissioner who later became an MP was allocated 10 acres and a former chief magistrate in Nairobi and Mombasa given 5 acres. A former nominated MP from Rift Valley owns 14 acres.

Kingi said he will use everything possible to ensure the land is reverted back to its original use or allocated to thousands of squatters in Sabaki.

Last month, area MCA Edward Dele led more than 1,000 squatters to invade the land and had even started subdividing it before police arrived and arrested more than 40 people.

The residents who claim to have been evicted from the land in 1965, demand that they be resettled and the current title deeds revoked.

Stembo Kaviha, a resident and human rights defender, said that four decade tussle with ADC over the land had led to loss of life and that a solution needed to be made.

Laikipia Women Rep Catherine Waruguru said that the ADC land has been grabbed everywhere in the country.