Two groups of residents have asked the government to initiate a fresh probe into the actual acreage of multinational fruit processor Del Monte in Thika.
Kandara Residents Association and Gatuanyaga Residents Association have petitioned the National Assembly and the National Land Commission, saying the company has failed to declare the actual size of land they utilize.
The groups accuse former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu and his Murang'a counterpart Mwangi Wairia of entering into an illegal pact with Del Monte.
The protracted land dispute between the giant fruit processor and residents of Murang’a and Kiambu counties took a new turn in November 2019 after Parliament ordered resurveying of the entire land held by the company.
But the residents claim they had been largely ignored in the resurveying process despite being the petitioners.
Addressing journalists in Thika, the residents who questioned the process said it had been ongoing without their involvement.
They said their technical representatives such as registered surveyors ought to have been brought on board before resurveying commenced.
The residents termed as irregular the renewal of lease of land to Del Monte Kenya Limited, alleging the giant company does not own any land, according to their investigations.
“Out of 22,500 acres of land that the company is claiming to own, our findings show that 17,000 acres of that land cannot be accounted for,” groups coordinator PMG Kamau said.
The groups urged the government to convene an urgent meeting with all stakeholders as they proposed a dispute resolution mechanism by the NLC, Parliament and the two counties involved.
Gatuanyaga Residents Association chairman David Chege said the surrender of 630 acres last year by Del Monte to the Kiambu county government did not reveal the actual acreage.
"We have come to establish that the unutilized land within Kiambu is actually more than 2,000 acres," Chege said.
Currently, the company uses 14,500 acres for production and processing of fruit. It has admitted that 3,500 acres of its land have not been in use.
Last year, the NLC was ordered by Parliament to investigate the circumstances under which the company allegedly acquired four parcels of land (LR Nos 10862, 10741, 11312 and 11146) measuring 7,400 acres.
The four parcels are said to have been surrendered to the government after dissolution of two companies trading as Sassa Coffee and Rappit B Limited which reportedly owned them.
Del Monte managing director Stergios Gkaliamoutsas said late last year that they have 22,000 acres in Murang’a and Kiambu counties in nine blocks with all ownership documents.
However, the MD said the management welcomed the move by Parliament to have the land resurveyed and would be willing to cede any portion they do not utilize.
Del Monte exports 4,000 tonnes of pineapple products and other fruit beverages through the Port of Mombasa annually. It took ownership of the plantation in 1968 and has turned the unused land into a thriving plantation.
