Govt intervenes to resolve Mwea land dispute

The National Government, through the Ministry of Interior, has waded into the controversy surrounding the sub division of 54,000-acre Mwea trust land in Mbeere South.

Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho has warned that nobody should be allowed to access that land until the adjudication exercise is completed.

Kibicho also said that the government will not watch as people kill each other over the disputed land that has seen protracted disagreements dating from as long as 1967.

Speaking at Umau Stadium in Kiritiri, Mbeere South, the PS criticized area MP Mutava Musyimi for allegedly being behind the rising tension in the area caused by the imminent sub division of the land.

Kibicho said that the he had invited all the elected leaders and elders to the meeting but Musyimi deliberately skipped it.

Area leaders including Embu Senator Leny Kivuti, Governor Martin Wambora, MPs Muriuki Njagagua (Mbeere North), John Muchiri (Manyatta) Speaker Kariuki Mate and all the MCAs have so far agreed to the subdivision of the land.

The Embu county government reiterated that elders from the Embu, Mbeere, Kamba and Kikuyu communities agreed to withdraw the cases in court and went ahead to draw a formula that has been used by the Ministry of Lands to sub divide the land and the title deeds are now ready for issuance.