•Insiders said the commission had lined up senior Ministry of lands, water and internal security bureaucrats for questioning.
•National Assembly Committee on Lands has commenced its own inquiry into the controversial issue.
Image: COURTESY
The anti-graft agency has started investigations into the irregular allocation of nearly Sh15 billion land in Galana, Kilifi.
Speaking to the Star, The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission officials said the inquiry has been opened following complaints from the Agricultural Development Corporation.
ADC wants to know how state officials annexed over 300,000 acres of Galana, Kulalu ranch.
Insiders said the commission had lined up senior Ministry of Lands, Water and Internal security bureaucrats for questioning.
ADC officials are expected to furnish the commission with documents regarding land ownership.
“The commission has opened up investigations into the allegations of irregular allocation of the land,” the communication officer Yasin Amaro said.
Amaro did not clarify as to when those under investigation will be summoned nor did he reveal their identity.
The investigations will be conducted in Nairobi and Kilifi EACC offices.
This comes at a time the National Assembly Committee on Lands has commenced its own inquiry into the controversial issue.
While appearing before the MPs a fortnight ago, ADC board chairman Nick Salat mentioned various Principal Secretaries as some of those who may have information on the status of the allotments.
Salat told a committee set up by the PS’ is behind the irregular allocation of the Sh15 billion public land in Kilifi.
The National Development Implementation Technical Committee is said to have approved the hiving off of over 300,000 acres of the Galana, Kulalu irrigation scheme.
Salat told MPs that although ADC is the legal owner of the land title for the 1.7 million-acre land, the parastatal learned about the annexation of the land from the media.
“We understand that a committee, being the NDITCC, has been mandated to deal with the matter. Being custodians and having held the subject land in trust of the government and engagements of private investors by the Corporation, it is prudent that the Corporation is involved in all aspects.”
He said there was a flurry of letters between ministries and other government agencies but both the ADC and the NLC that are legally mandated to handle the allocation were sidelined.
Salat told MPs that a letter dated November 12, last year, from the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning, had requested ADC to allow a group of surveyors to conduct preliminary activities in the quest to implement the food security project as directed by the Cabinet.
The second letter of November 15 addressed to the Agriculture CS Peter Munya and copied to head of public service Joseph Kinyua, Interior PS Karanja Kibicho, and Treasury CS Ukur Yatani also alluded to the plan.
MPs now want NLC and the Water ministry officials to appear before them to shed light on the encroachment of land.
NLC, which was not involved in the annexation has sought more time before appearing to explain the matter.
The committee chaired by Kitui South MP Racheal Nyamai heard that some unscrupulous people have managed to hive off swathes of land with illegal activities already ongoing.
“There are a lot of activities ongoing that we don’t have information on. There are so many quarries with a danger that over 300,000 acres of land are in the hands of brokers and illegal occupants of the property,” Salat told the committee.
He called on the committee members to visit the land in question citing that hiving off government land must get the approval of the National Assembly.
The committee is currently considering a public petition by Garsen residents regarding the subdivision of the ADC land.
Last week, some residents staged a protest in the area opposing ADC move to reset their boundaries.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris