Kenya: Police aid in Lamu land
grabbing, says lobby
By Cheti Praxides
The police and public officers
in Lamu have been accused of colluding with tycoons to frustrate a
lobby group's efforts to get justice on land issues.
Save Mokowe
chairperson Ali Said Awadh said rich people, with the help of the
police, are grabbing the land of indigenous residents. He also
accused chiefs and DOs of grabbing community land and selling it to
the tycoons. Awadh said the group's members have been harassed by
police officers for fighting for the land rights of the people of
Mokowe and the county.
"We have no one else to fight for us. The
tycoons have totally bought over our police and public officers. We
are appealing to any willing NGOs out there join us and help us get
our land from these people," he said.
Awadh was speaking to the
Star in Mokowe on Tuesday. He said land grabbing is on the rise
because of the Lamu Port South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport corridor.
"Mokowe will be the hub of Lapsset and that's why everyone is
racing to have a piece of it before the port is built. These people
are willing to do almost anything just to get some of us out of our
lands," Awadh said.
The group accused Lands Cabinet Secretary
Charity Ngilu and National Land Commission chair Muhammad Swazuri of
making false promises.
"When Ngilu came, she said Mokowe and
other lands would be surveyed and people given titles. The surveyors
left the exercise halfway. The NLC also promised us titles but we
have seen nothing so far. Tycoons have found it easy to do as they
wish. Our local leaders don't support us. We have no faith in the
government nor Ngilu, nor the NLC," said Abdulrahman Aden, a
member.
Maulidi Madobe, another member, said: "We can't even put
up permanent residence here because the land has yet to be subdivided
and people given title deeds. We appeal to the county government to
step in and bring surveyors to finish up what Ngilu started since as
it looks, she never coming back soon."
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