Uproar as elders and leaders disagree on Mwea settlement scheme

Embu

Friday, July 28, 2023

KNA by Samuel Waititu

Tension is piling up in the 44, 000 acres of disputed Mwea Settlement Scheme in Mbeere Sub-county, Embu, over who should occupy.

On one hand, a section of elders in the county have called on the government to fast track settlement of hundreds of beneficiaries who were yet to occupy their allotted lands eight years down the line from the time the land was subdivided and titled.

The call has however not gone down well with a section of leaders who are claiming the subdivision process was fraudulent.

The government in 2018 suspended the settlement process indefinitely when it turned bloody after squatters resisted eviction leading to a clash that left one person dead and scores injured.

The elders allied to Ngome Clan argued that only beneficiaries of three blocks out of 34 know where their portions were and called on both the county and national governments to intervene and have them settled once and for all.

Ngome Council of Elders Chair Eston Nyaga said it has been eight years of agonizing wait with no clear solution in sight.

His Vice Chair Sylvester Mate said it was time they were allowed to settle in their portions that have been lying idle so as to develop them.

They called on Governor Cecily Mbarire to take up the matter, claiming that those who have been in occupation were illegal settlers while legitimate beneficiaries have been locked out.

Hundreds of settlers in the expanse scheme have argued that they were left out during the subdivision process despite living in the land for decades.

In a quick rejoinder, Makima Ward MCA Philip Nzangi said the elders were misleading the locals, majority of who wished to have the land subdivided a fresh.

Speaking on Thursday at a burial ceremony in Karaba, Mwea Sub-county, Nzangi claimed that there were forces behind the elders using them to create conflict among those living in the disputed land.

“We cannot have people tell the government to settle them in a land they know well has unresolved issues,” he said.

He told them there was no need to cry to the government to take them to the land they know belongs to them.

“You cannot ask the government to settle you in a land that you know is yours,” the MCA said, while asking the elders to stop making inciting remarks.

The land tussle has for years been used as a campaign tool to get votes by aspirants vying various positions as they weighed in on the dispute in the name of finding a lasting solution.

The Environment and Land court in Embu in February 2020 nullified 9,233 titles issued and ordered for fresh subdivision and allocation of new ones under the supervision of the County Commissioner in consultation with the community.

Judge Yuvinalis Angima made the ruling following a petition by some members of Ngome Council of Elders who had sued the Ministry of Lands, Attorney General, Embu County Government, National Land Commission and some 320 beneficiaries.

Courtesy ; K. N. A