Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has told Senators that the government has leased over 80,000 acres in Samburu County for the development of security infrastructure and training facilities.

Murkomen told the Senate Lands Committee that it was worth noting that the government has been leasing the land for the last 10 years and had hugely invested in infrastructure, however he said that it was unsustainable to continue leasing the land.

The Cabinet Secretary told the committee chaired by Mombasa Senator Mohammed Faki that the law also provides for compulsory land acquisition to safeguard public interest, specifically public safety in this matter pointing out that Kenya Defence Forces owns 36 hectares in the area.

“The Land act allows for compulsory land acquisition to safeguard public interest, the decision by the National Land Commission was guided by the public interest to be served by such acquisition, availability of land and availability of funds by the acquiring entity for purpose of compensation,” said Murkomen.

Samburu Senator Steve Lelegwe had sought to know the criteria and guidelines used by the National Land Commission to grant the land to the Interior Ministry and whether public participation was carried out to establish the needs of the Losesa community.

Lelegwe said that the community was against their land being taken away and were ready to lease it up to 50 years instead of compulsory acquisition and that the local residents were concerned that their land was getting depleted without them benefitting from it.

Murkomen said that public participation was done in October last year with the same involved all the stakeholders including the National Land Commission, National Intelligence Service, National Government Administration Officers, local leaders and the County Government.

“The National Land Commission will value the property as per international valuation standards taking into consideration the market value of the land and loss of business due to the running lease and the legally allowed disturbance allowance,” said Murkomen.

Murkomen told Senators that in the Witu Nyangoro Ranch in Lamu County squatters invaded the land in 2015 allocating themselves parcels of land without the consent of rightful owners and constructed temporary structures.

He said that during campaigns politicians promised to petition the courts to award the squatters portions of land which emboldened other residents to invade further parcels with some squatters starting to sell part of the ranch to unsuspecting members of the public.

Murkomen said that it was worth noting that the management of Witu Nyangoro Ranch were given allotment letters in 1971 by the government for conservation efforts and as grazing holding areas for their livestock before the squatters’ invasion in 2015.

“Following the invasion by squatters both the management committee of the ranch and squatters sought legal redress and various court cases ensued with the Malindi Court determining the ranch rightfully belonged to Nyangoro Ranch Limited,” said Murkomen.

Nominated Senator Shakila Abdalla asked Murkomen to tell Senators for how long squatters will be occupying the land and timelines in which they will be evicted and measures to be taken by the OCS Witu Police Station to stop squatters who are currently moving into the ranch.

Murkomen said that consultations are currently ongoing on the best way to implement the order while at the same time mitigating the social economic impact on the squatters currently occupying the land.