Kitui County Executive Members for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Fredrick Kimanga /Musembi NzenguFraudsters and conmen are on the prowl, fleecing unsuspecting Kitui residents of money in the guise of selling them public land held by the B2 Yatta Ranching Cooperative Society.
CEC for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Fredrick Kimanga, has raised the red flag and urged residents to guard against falling prey to the antics of the criminals.
“My office has received information that people are passing false information that the B2 Yatta Ranching Cooperative Society Limited land, title number 11802, is up for sale,” the CEC said.
He clarified that the 23,109-acre ranch land that was leased to the Society by the defunct Kitui County Council—the precursor of the County Government of Kitui— was public.
Speaking to journalists in Kitui yesterday, Kimanga said once the 99-year lease to the Society lapses in 2064, full ownership of the land will revert to the county government.
Kimanga warned that members of the public who engage with unscrupulous individuals to buy the ranch land would do so at their own peril, as the county does not recognise such deals.
“I want to make it clear to the public that they should eschew being duped to buy the land. They will lose their money. It is public land that belongs to the people of Kitui. It is not up for sale,” he said.
He revealed that some crafty members of the cooperative were conniving with fraudsters and conmen to propagate the information that the ranch land was on sale.
“Therefore those who are duping unsuspecting members of the public and fleecing them of their money stand warned as they are involved in an illegality and sooner than later the law will catch up with them,” he said.
In April, Kitui Governor Julius Malombe pledged to end the illegal occupation of the ranch land by encroachers and land speculators.
Malombe lamented that people in government have been using their positions to grab the land.
“We will ensure that this particular resource is not lost to encroachers who encroach using all sorts of rationales including influential positions in government,” he said.
He vowed that going forward, the practice would not be allowed under his watch.
Malombe said he would approach the National Police Service on the possibility of setting up a police station within the ranch to deal with any encroachers and boost security in the area.
The governor spoke when he witnessed the signing of a MoU between his administration and the management of the ranching cooperative on effective management of the ranch land.
