How Lapsset sucked life out of Garsen, breathed it into Minjila town

For more than five decades, Garsen has been Tana River County’s business hub.

Traders have invested in infrastructure and benefited from the booming business, and hence the notable growth in the area.

The town has bred millionaires and lured entrepreneurs from as far away as northern Kenya and the mountains to its successful gamble.

Following the tremendous development over the years, the county government, at the onset of devolution, chose it as the centre of trade.

To match that honour, the department of trade built a state-of-the-art market that cost a whooping Sh230 million in a bid to bolster trade.

However, the glory of the once vibrant town is rapidly declining as the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (Lapsset) project gains momentum.

Each day, Garsen takes a gloomier appearance, with business declining and investors doubting its potential.

The town that used to earn the county nearly half its total revenue is deserted.

Stealing the glory is a little-known centre, a place that has all this time chilled in a soft slumber six kilometres away - Minjila.

The Lapsset road from Minjila to Lamu is luring business to the area, sparking a scramble for land for investment.

Land that used to sell for Sh50,000 in 2018 now goes for Sh500,000.

Structures are rising and business is thriving as matatu owners abandon the Garsen Market Bus Park for Minjila.

Businessman Alex Njenga says that Garsen has had its moment of glory and is now headed to its rest bed.

Disbelief

"There is no more peak for Garsen, people are not buying, business is at the lowest ever in history," he says.

His food kiosk, he said, used to make Sh40,000 monthly as the town was filled with activity, from passenger vehicles to transporters of agricultural produce.

He noted that the trend suddenly phased out, and the business has been registering daily, prompting him to start planning to shift base.

"I have acquired land in Minjila and have started constructing a restaurant there. Things are promising on that side," he says.

Abdulmalik Marwan looks at Garsen in disbelief.

The trader cannot believe how fast the town has lost its glamour and what lies at stake.

"This market cost taxpayers over Sh200 million. Everyone is abandoning it, running to Minjila for business," he says.

The Lapsset project, among other government projects, he noted, have robbed Garsen of its economic dominance and reduced it to a village.

Unlike Garsen, he said, Minjila enjoys a large number of civil servants, who are vital for business, a well-coordinated security system and an advantage in its transport network.

"Minjila has the highest number of police officers, health workers, and security officers residing there. Then there is a lot of business taking place along that route to Lamu," he says.

He noted that with a few investors now putting up hotels and guest houses, Minjila is a cosmopolitan centre in its budding stage.

Trade executive Yahya Barrow acknowledged that Minjila is the next frontier.

Minjila, he said, has more room for expansion and links the two major north coast towns of Lamu and Malindi that are robust with business.

Fraud in land dealings

"There is huge potential in Minjila, and this may open up trade in the Tana Delta areas of Kipini and even Tarasaa if properly planned," he says.

Nevertheless, he noted that despite shrinking business in Garsen, the area remains a heritage centre and will bounce back in style.

He notes that the county department has put in place plans to ensure there is a balance in growth and development by scheduling more projects.

"We are going to invest in small-scale businesses, industrial development and agriculture. Minjila will grow but Garsen will be special in its way," he says.

Meanwhile, with the quick growth in Minjila comes fraud in land dealings.

Some dealers are selling land meant for public amenities and unsuspecting buyers are taking the bait.

Other buyers have fallen victim to fraudsters who sell land to multiple people.

In a bid to curb the unscrupulous practices, the county department of lands has banned all land dealings in the area that don’t have authorization from its offices.

Lands Chief Officer Francis Malibe noted that this will ensure that all parcels of land are acquired legally in order to prevent conflicts.

"There are places that have already been earmarked for development and people may fall victim to the fraud. We have made it clear that unless our officers are involved, nobody should pay for any land," he says.

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