This archive report was first published on 14 July 2020.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has stepped in to resolve a long-standing land dispute between Murang'a residents and Del Monte Foods, a US-based company that owns 22,000 acres in Thika.
The intervention comes after the US government petitioned Nairobi to help resolve the lease agreement controversy, citing the spirit of the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries.
According to Lands Principal Secretary Nicholas Muraguri, the President has given the ministry until the end of the month to resolve the issue.
"There is no diplomatic tiff between Washington and Nairobi over the issue," Muraguri said. "The envoy has reached out to us on behalf of Del Monte and we have reciprocated the gesture in good faith. All parties will be listened to and the government will conclusively deal with the issue by the end of the month."
Muraguri is leading a working group to survey and demarcate the land, arbitrate and reconcile underlying issues, and renew the lease.
Locals, led by the Kandara Residents Association, are demanding between 5,000 and 8,000 acres be excised from Del Monte's hold and handed back to them.
The surrendered land will be used to build an industrial park, cottage industries, low-cost housing, and a hospital, according to Phillip Kamau, the association's chairman.
Published on July 14, 2020, at 09:18:27.
