• The company says it has ownership documents for all its nine blocks of land but is ready to surrender any extra land found.
• It sits on 22,000 acres located in Murang'a and Kiambu counties.
BY ALICE WAITHERA
Delmonte says it has all along been ready for a fresh survey of its land even before a similar recommendation was made.
Managing director Stergios Gkaliamoutsas on Thursday said they have 22,000 acres in Murang’a and Kiambu counties in nine blocks and they have all ownership documents. The firm has been embroiled in a tussle with residents and county leaders over lease renewal.
The company exports 4,000 tonnes of pineapple products and other fruits beverages through the Port of Mombasa annually. It attained the ownership of the plantation in 1968 and has turned the unused land into a thriving plantation.
Gkaliamoutsas said they had written to the Director of Survey way before the National Land Commission (NLC) gave resurvey orders. He also dismissed claims by some residents that Delmonte Kenya Company is in possession of public land. He spoke in his company office.
In March this year, the NLC directed the Director of Survey to resurvey the company’s parcels in partnership with the Kiambu and Murang'a governments. The move was meant to establish whether there was any variance between the land occupied by the company and the land leased.
The commission directed any residue land be surrendered to Kandara Residents' Association, which had filed a petition to block the renewal of the company’s leasehold. The residents would share it with the county governments in the ratio of 70:30.
The company was also ordered to surrender all public utilities on its land to the relevant national and county government agencies irrespective of whether the leases had expired.
"Should any extra land other than what we have declared be found, then we are ready to surrender it but I'm confident none will be found," Gkaliamoutsas said.
He urged the petitioners to consider channelling their grievances through the NLC and county governments, which represent the public.
Gkaliamoutsas said they are ready to surrender all public utilities within its jurisdiction. He said the company runs eight nursery schools, three primary schools and two secondary schools, which they built using their resources. They also built a police station.
The company has 6,500 employees and 13,323 acres are under pineapples. It also grows avocados and mangoes on a smaller scale.
Gkaliamoutsas said all its nine leases are set to expire. They started the lease renewal process seven years ago. The process has, however, been marred by protests, with about six petitions filed by different parties against it. Some petitioners seek to have international bids invited before the leases are renewed.
The Murang’a government has also declared interests in having part of the land that touches the Thika-Kenol highway. It wants it surrendered to make room for a modern city project. But Gkaliamoutsas said they cannot cede the land near the highway as that is where its entire water and irrigation infrastructure is located.
"Removing this land from us would be killing the plantation," he said, adding that the 635 acres ceded to the Kiambu government earlier were marginalised land that was not under cultivation.
The director pointed out that Kenya gets about Sh9 billion annually from the firm, which, he added, has been named the best exporter and importer. Meanwhile, the firm finalising a new Sh580 million state-of-the-art fresh fruit packing facility with the capacity to process 70,000 tonnes annually.
The plant is located within the plantation and will source fruits from local farmers for both local and international markets and boost the local economy.
"In this way, the company is helping the government achieve the Big Four agenda on local cultivation, agro-processing and full value-added support for manufacturing and food security," Gkaliamoutsas said.
(Edited by F'Orieny)