Prisons lose 4,500 acres to grabbers

Main entrance to Shimo La Tewa Prisons in Shanzu. About 4,579.54 acres belonging to prisons have been grabbed, Lands Cabinet Secretary Prof Jacob Kaimenyi told senators on April 13, 2016. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The biggest loser is the Kitale Main prison whose 2,717 acres have been sold, the minister told a special Senate committee looking into the state of prisons around the country.
  • Only at the Eldoret prison had the government managed to retain possession of the land by preventing encroachers from occupying it, said Prof Kaimenyi.

About 4,579.54 acres belonging to prisons have been grabbed, Lands Cabinet Secretary Prof Jacob Kaimenyi told senators on Wednesday.

The biggest loser is the Kitale Main prison whose 2,717 acres have been sold, the minister told a special Senate committee looking into the state of prisons around the country.

In Nairobi, the remand and allocation prison has lost 36.99 acres, the Nairobi West 60.91 acres, Lang’ata Women 27.67 acres and Kamiti 50.16 acres.

Only at the Eldoret prison had the government managed to retain possession of the land by preventing encroachers from occupying it, said Prof Kaimenyi.

He added that the ministry would work with the National Land Commission to investigate and identify the culprits in two weeks.

Deputy Commissioner of Prisons Benjamin Njoga said the department was seeking to secure what was in its possession.

“We want the land surveyed and given title deeds before we go after the land that has been grabbed,” said Mr Njoga.

The ad hoc committee was set up after the Senate passed a motion by URP-Nominated Senator Fatuma Adan to inquire into the state of prisons and recommend ways of improving them.

Dr Boni Khalwale, a member of the committee, said they found out on a visit to Kakamega that senior officers carried out commercial farming on prison land.

He told Prof Kaimenyi he would have to be careful in investigating the land grabs as “land is a red-hot issue.”

“You’re going to discover that your list of culprits has senior serving and former prison officers, serving and former senior provincial officers, some of whom are in this Parliament. In fact, you might find that soon after you do this, you’re transferred,” said Dr Khalwale.