- National Irrigation Authority owns 16,000 acres which is under the Hola irrigation scheme.
- Irrigation PS Irungu said they want to use the land for its purpose, which is irrigation.
The government will crack down on tycoons and some politicians who have allegedly grabbed part of the 16,000-acre parcel belonging to the Tana irrigation scheme in Tana River county.
Reports indicate massive encroachment on the prime land within the town by people who are developing it illegally.
Water and Irrigation PS Joseph Irungu warned those who have grabbed the land to demolish the buildings and vacate or else they would be brought down.
Speaking during a tour of Hola town, he said the land belongs to the National Irrigation Authority, but private developers were putting up permanent houses and storey buildings on it.
“I urge those who have begun building in the land belonging to NIA to begin moving out because we shall demolish them. I am issuing a warning,” he said.
The PS said they want to use the land for its purpose, which is irrigation, and if there are any plans to transfer the land due process has to be followed.
He said the National Land Commission must be involved to help in ensuring that the parcel is given to the county government.
Irungu said people started invading the land and building houses when the irrigation scheme collapsed.
“This is agricultural land that was set aside for farming,” he said.
The PS was on his second-day tour of Tana River inspecting Sh1 billion water projects being implemented in villages.
He also toured the Tana irrigation scheme to check the progress of the project, which is aimed at addressing food insecurity and create jobs.
Irungu said soon the government will embark on demolition and eviction of the squatters to pave way for government projects.
Hola town is the headquarters of Tana River county, which is growing fast.
Most of the parcels of land within the town are owned by the Hola irrigation scheme but private developers, politicians and squatters took advantage of it lying idle and subdivided it amongst themselves.
This is despite the fact that there is signage indicating that the land belongs to the government.
Present during the tour was area MP Said Hiribae, Garsen MP Ali Hashaka, Senator Juma Wario and a host of MCAs.
Senator Wario asked the PS to go slow, saying that those who had invaded the NIA land near and within Hola town should be evicted but not those who reside in villages kilometres away from the town.
Wario said he was shocked to hear that those people in the irrigation scheme shall be evicted.
He said only those who invaded the land in the town should be dealt with but not in the villages that have existed for many years since the irrigation and settlement scheme was established.
Area MCA Saida Loda asked the government not to demolish the houses within the irrigation land.
She urged the PS to instead construct houses for farmers who have to travel many kilometres to access their farms.
The plan comes at a time when Governor Dhadho Godhana is relocating the county headquarters and the town to Gordhan, another area which will give room for more development in a spacious place.
In the plan is also the relocation of residents in villages prone to floods, which Governor Dhadho said will be relocated in 43 village clusters placed on higher grounds.
Godhana said the 48 village clusters programme will be a permanent solution to perennial flooding, as the Sh3.5 billion cluster villages will be set up on higher ground several kilometres from the River Tana.
Edited by Henry Makori