Locals fault ‘rushed’ plans to allocate Wajir land

A fresh row is brewing in Wajir County following plans by the National Lands Commission (NLC) to allocate a prime plot to a private firm in a process locals claim is shrouded in secrecy.

Residents and local leaders have vowed to challenge the move, saying neither NLC nor the county government has the powers to give out public land without seeking their views in a structured public participation process.

They claim the intended allocation of the 119.9 ha piece of land in Wagalla ward to North Green Farm Limited, which is a private entity, is flawed. They said the expansive land belongs to the local community.

Local leaders led by Kanu politician Sheikh Ibrahim warned that pastoral range lands should not be subdivided or allocated to private entities without adequate consultations.

“We are petitioning the NLC on this. If it means going to court, we are ready. Many people, including small-holder farmers, will be adversely affected. Moreover, no public participation was done,” Ibrahim said in Nairobi yesterday.

Pasture

He added: “Wagalla ward was the epicentre of clan clashes due to pasture and land. The painful history of Wagalla speaks for itself. It is a cosmopolitan area and such questionable land transfers can easily trigger clan clashes.”

In a newspaper advert on June 15, 2021, NLC published a notice informing the public of its intention to allocate the land to North Green Farm Limited for what it called agricultural purposes. It gave the public 15 days, which expires on Wednesday, to raise their objections, if any.

“In the absence of valid objections, the allocation shall take place at the commission’s offices in Nairobi, at Bishop’s Gardens, at 2.30pm on the next working day following the expiry of this notice,” the NLC said.

Yesterday, Ibrahim said issues around land were still emotive in northern Kenya and demanded full disclosure of details of the said agricultural purposes for which NLC intends to allocate the land to the private farm.

Commercial gain

He said: “Interests of a few individuals should not supersede those of residents. In the same land lies hundreds of graves and it will be culturally anathema to residents if such shrines are desecrated by private entities for commercial gain.”

Yusuf Abdullahi, a resident, took issue with NLC for allegedly ambushing them with its notice. “Why didn't this matter begin from the grassroots if it is genuine and why ambush residents with a short notice in a small newspaper advert and how many people in Wajir West can access a newspaper?”

Yesterday evening, the group met in Nairobi even as community leaders held meetings with aggrieved residents in Wajir West, and sent a petition to the NLC, asking it to stop the process forthwith to allow for consultations and public participation.

“We will not relent in our quest to protect our community rights. No one is above the law,” Ibrahim said.