Senate vows to unravel Drumvale land dispute
Members of Drumvale Farmers Cooperative Society protest at the delayed determination of a case before the Land Disputes Tribunal outside Nation Centre in Nairobi in February 2020.
Senators have vowed to get to the bottom of a dispute in which elderly farmers were allegedly dispossessed of their land and lost money after their savings and credit cooperative society was liquidated under unclear circumstances.
This was revealed during a sit-down between a Senate committee and members of Drumvale Farmers Cooperative Society.
The aggrieved members narrated to the Senate Committee on Trade, Industrialisation and Tourism on Friday last week how the organisation was put under liquidation by a rogue official without a court order.
The senators’ visit followed the filing of a petition in the House by Machakos Senator Agnes Kavindu on behalf of the farmers, calling for a probe into the issue.
Addressing the committee that is chaired by Kajiado Senator Seki Lenku ole Kanar, former society members said they had at one time given up hope of recovering their land.
The farmers lamented that, even after obtaining court orders barring the illegal disposal of their land by the liquidator, the police turned a blind eye to their plight as the sale and subdivision of their property went on unabated.
Drumvale Chairman Felix Maingi said that at the time the organisation was placed under liquidation, it had millions of shillings in the bank and had also invested in Treasury bonds. He wondered how such a society could be declared insolvent.
“Before liquidation is done, there has to be a case in court proving that [the organisation owes] a certain amount of money, which [it’s] unable to pay.”
“This did not happen. In our case, we had about Sh2 million in the bank. We also had Treasury bills at the Central Bank," said Mr Maingi.
Liquidator appointed
Drumvale had requested for assistance from the Commissioner of Cooperatives to take stock of the society’s assets and help distribute the property among members, most of whom were aged. Instead of implementing their wishes, members lamented, the commissioner appointed a liquidator who has never rendered an account of the liquidation status since 2009.
County Commissioner Josephine Ouko, Governor Wavinya Ndeti, and Senator Kavindu said Machakos had a myriad of land problems but expressed optimism that the national government working in collaboration with the devolved administration will resolve the issues soon.
Ms Ouko said the disputes had made it difficult for investors to develop their lands, adding, the national government would ensure that genuine landowners got back their property.
“On the issue of Drumvale, we have the records and will ensure Justice is done,” said Ms Ouko.
Mr Ole Kanar assured the society’s members that a solution would be found as “Senate is looking into the matter.”
Drumvale Farmers Cooperative Society was established in the 1960s and had a total landholding of over 12,000 acres.
