Jubilee Govt Protecting Land Grabbers,CORD Allege

Speaking in the wake of the storm caused by the grabbing of land belonging to Lang’ata Road Primary School in Nairobi, Cord co-principles Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetangula and Senators Omar Hassan and Johnstone Muthama challenged the government to name individuals who had grabbed the land.

On Monday, children at the school joined activists in a demonstration against the grabbing of their playground. Chaotic scenes marked the demo in which police lobbed tear gas at the children, sparking widespread condemnation. President Uhuru Kenyatta has since reprimanded the police, the Lands ministry and the National Land Commission (NLC) over the matter.

The Cord leaders also condemned the extension of a 99-year lease for a 30,000-acre farm in Taita Taveta which is linked to the Kenyatta family. They said they would soon call public rallies in the county to sensitise locals on the issue.

On Monday, NLC Chairman Dr Mohammed Swazuri defended the Kenyatta family over accusations that it owns large swathes of land in Coast region

“The public has consistently been made to believe that the Kenyatta family owns huge tracts of land in Taita Taveta County. This is wrong. Documents indicate that the family owns only 30,000 acres, which were legally acquired using due process,” he said.

By Tom Omulo.