Governor Rasanga supporters attack Midiwo, Gumbo over land lease

Supporters of Siaya Governor Cornel Rasanga on Sunday attacked Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo and his Rarieda counterpart Nicholas Gumbo at Nyadorera market.

Jakoyo and his colleagues had just left Siaya Anglican Church for a fundraiser and were going to address the community in Usonga regarding Yala Swamp when they were attacked.

Drama unfolded at Nyadorera market where they had stopped to address the community when a group of youth armed with rungus (clubs) and pangas (machetes), chanting pro-Rasanga songs, confronted them claiming that they do not want Jakoyo to get involved in issues regarding the land.

The youth told Midiwo, who had accused Governor Rasanga of illegally leasing 6,000 acres of Yala Swamp, to keep off county affairs.

Midiwo had claimed Rasanga did not follow due process and ended up pocketing Ksh.70 million in a deal with a company owner.

He added that he had documents that incriminated the governor, the National Land Commission and the National Environment Management Authority in the saga.

The swamp currently occupied by a farm has been in the limelight over the previous Memorandum of Understanding terms signed by the defunct county council.

Midiwo insisted that corruption surrounding the swamp was orchestrated in Rasanga’s office.

He said a process of leasing the land was reached after the county assembly task force indicated the previous terms were null and void.

Rasanga, however, allegedly went on with the deal on June 15, 2015, without revisiting the new terms the task force had come up with.

The MP said the governor’s dealings were suspicious as he signed the leasing agreement, a role meant for the county secretary.

Midiwo added that the county government allowed the investor, not Nema, to carry out an impact assessment survey, and that the new MoU was signed without a public hearing.

But Rasanga dismissed the claims saying he decided to carry out a comprehensive survey following objection against leasing part of the swamp.

He said the county government had set aside some money to facilitate the comprehensive survey to establish the actual size of Yala Swamp and renew leasing terms with the current investors before contracting others.

The county chief said on Friday while addressing the press in his office that 300 hectares will be set aside for the community that had not been considered before.

Rasanga explained that he wrote to the NLC requesting the temporary suspension of the leasing of Yala Swamp until all records are set straight, though saying the land county was open to interested investors.