Kikuyus in Mpeketoni Have Titles, But....

Mpeketoni is a good example of well-utilised agricultural land. It breaks the continuous
"idle land that stretch from Malindi to Lamu."

By HENRY MWANGI
and MURUU TUVA
EXPRESS Writers

For the past three decades, the government has made efforts to reduce landlessness in various parts of Kenya.

Lake Kenyatta Settlement Scheme in Mpeketoni division, Lamu district, is one of the many settlement schemes initiated by the government under the then President Kenyatta.

An estimated 40,000 people live in this coastal area. Most of them are from the Kikuyu community. They have lived here for more than 30 years on a temporary basis. The government brought landless people from different parts of the country in 1972 following tribal clashes in Rift Valley and Mzee Kenyatta's turudi mashambani appeal.

Others are former employees of the Cotton Board of Kenya that had a big plantation in the area. They were left helpless after the board collapsed.

The settlers had 20 acres of land, which was later reduced to 10 owing to population pressure. They had an agreement with the Ministry of Lands and Settlement to pay Sh5,090 loaned to them at 6.5 per cent interest a year, a condition they could not meet due to lack of a government cash box at the division level.

It is alleged that corruption has interfered with loan payments, leading to some people losing large sums of money and others seeking assistance from the headquarters in Nairobi. Grace Gitu sought help from the headquarters but still receives letters requiring land rent payment even after acquiring a title deed.

Many farmers cannot trace their title deeds owing to lack of funds. This is worsened by poor market for their produce.

Illiteracy, poverty and poor communication has made Lake Kenyatta Settlement Scheme a haven for corrupt government officials.

Farmer Stephen Ng'ang'a Kariara says his land bill was Sh14,000 on December 2, 1999. He paid the money and received a letter certifying that he had cleared the bill. When he went to enquire about his title deed on October 1, 2000, he received another bill for Sh9,131, which he hesitated to pay and went back home. Three years later, the debt has increased to Sh10,375.44. He has never gone back to the local lands office.

When we visited the Land Adjudication and Settlement offices in Mpeketoni, we met officials Patrick Mbatia and Ngokonyo, who refused to comment. They hurriedly left on a government motorbike, leaving the office wide open.

On the other hand, lack of unity among the settlers led to collapse of the Lake Kenyatta Farmers Co-operative Society, which could have improved their marketing procedures.

GTZ has been a good donor, helping to construct roads, schools and the Lakwa water project.

Kariara is a land surveyor, but he lost his job after GTZ completed its operations in Mpeketoni. His plot bordered a forest that was later subdivided and allocated to other settlers. These are currently fighting with wild animals that threaten to destroy their crops.

Mpeketoni is a good example of well-utilised agricultural land. It breaks the continuous idle land that stretch from Malindi to Lamu.