This archive report was first published on 8 June 2020.
Published on June 8, 2020, Taita Taveta Governor Granton Samboja is making waves in his county by fighting to reclaim two strategic towns on Mombasa highway now under Kwale and Makueni counties.
Locals in Taita have long blamed former leadership for failing to assert the county's ownership of the two towns. Samboja has recently announced that his county will post revenue collection officers to Mackinnon Road Town, which is currently managed by Kwale but has been a subject of dispute.
Andrew Kubo, the county's finance Chief Executive, revealed that revenue officers from Taita have been stationed at Mackinnon Road collecting fees. Samboja has consistently stated that the two strategic towns were illegally hived off, and the community has the right to administer them.
Samboja's move has not gone unnoticed, with Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Junior labeling it as provocation. Interestingly, in Kwale, Governor Salim Mvurya had suspended revenue collection in the town for three months to combat Covid-19.
Samboja's efforts have won the support of MCAs who are determined to fight for residents' land rights. The MCAs are targeting ranches in the county whose lease has expired, with Mkuki ranch being a prime example. The county has written to the National Land Commission and the Ministry of Lands, requesting that the lease not be renewed.
The county lands department has grand plans to develop the plum land and involve residents in the decision-making process. The ranch occupies 2,400 acres with minerals, and the county wants to ensure that residents benefit from it.
