Gov't to purchase 11,000 acres land in Naivasha, use part of it to settle squatters

The government is in the process of acquiring 11,000 acres of land in Naivasha to settle squatters from around the Rift Valley region.

Speaking at a hotel in Nakuru during a workshop to review national land policy, Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome said they have received the nod from cabinet to purchase the parcel from which 5,000 will be used for Special Economic Zones (SEZ) while the remaining 6,000 will be used to address the squatter crisis.

“We are in the advanced stages of acquiring the land and the payment will be done in three years which will be provided for by the government, so we believe we will fully address the squatter problem around the area,” she said.

Wahome said that the selection of the squatters will be a meticulous process that will involve thorough scrutiny to prevent joyriders from taking advantage of the program for personal gain.

Recently squatters from Ndabibi in Naivasha have been at loggerheads with the government over the land's ownership as they decry threats of eviction from the land they have been living in for several years.