• Alternative dispute resolution committee calls for resubdivision of 8,000 acres, revocation of all titles to non-members immediately. 'Underhand deals' cited.
• Hundreds of acres under cultivation to be restored to forest.
A committee on Ng'ati farm dispute resolution has ordered immediate revocation of title deeds issued to non-farm members, including senior government officials and politicians.
In a report delivered on Friday last week, the committee ordered ordered fresh subdivision of 8,000 acres of the vast Ng'ati farm in Naivasha.
The orders are are contained in a report on alternative dispute resolution. The committee was appointed in October 2018 to resolve land disputes.
For years, 581 members of the land buying company have clashed over the sub-division of 16,708 acres. The dispute first pitted them against Maasais, leading to a court case.
The 2004 case was resolved by the Court of Appeal, which directed the Kikuyus get 12,131 acres and the Maasais 4,207 acres.
The report has exposed a lot of underhand deals in subdivision of land and title deeds for those officers and politicians who received the land illegally should be revoked.Committee chairman Njoroge Gichuhi
In far-reaching directives, the committee said more than 8,000 acres of subdivided land must be subdivided afresh.
Nakuru county chief of staff Njoroge Gichuhi, who chaired the committee, said investigations had revealed senior government officers had illegally benefited from the land.
Speaking after handing over the report, Gichuhi said the officers had been given a window of opportunity to return the land.
“The report has exposed a lot of underhand deals in the subdivision of land and title deeds for those officers and politicians who received the land illegally should be revoked,” he said.
In a move certain to raise tensions, Gichuhi called for fresh subdivision and returning farmland to forest.
“This is going to be a painful experience but we have to conduct it so all the members of Ng’ati Farm can get justice and their equal share,” he said.
He said former officials of the Ng’ati land buying company should be investigated by the DCI and their property acquired from land sales repossessed.
Chief officer in charge of land Judy Leah Waihenya said fresh subdivision would begin in two weeks.
She said the issue of the Nakuru-Narok boundary near the disputed land would also be addressed in an ongoing survey.
“There is a schedule on how revocation of the titles and fresh subdivision will be conducted and we are ready,” Waihenya said.
Maella MCA Gathariki Kamanu praised the ad hoc committee for coming up with solutions to the land problem that has caused tension and dozens of deaths over the years.
“We fully support this report and we are asking for patience as the process of implementing the recommendations now starts,” Kamanu said.
Naivasha subcounty commissioner Mutua Kisilu said security agents were ready and keen to implement the report.
“We are seeking lasting peaceful solutions which will be brought by this report and we are asking for support and cooperation from residents,” he said.
(Edited by V. Graham)