Families that were resettled to pave way for Vihiga county headquarters to be compensated soon -Sen Osotsi.

Nairobi Kenya 13/04/23

By Shikutwa Khwa Shivega

The Senate has launched a probe into the delayed degazettement of the 40-acre Musunji-Shaviringa Settlement Scheme to compensate the over 300 families who gave up their lands to allow the government to establish a district headquarters in Mbale in 1985.

The government acquired the parcels of land in a plan to establish the Vihiga District headquarters. At the time, the families were promised double the 30 acres they gave up but, more than three decades later, this is yet to materialise and they are still living as squatters in Shaviringa and neither own nor can they develop the land.

The Senate Standing Committee on Lands has been tasked with investigating the delayed survey, degazettement and award of title deeds at the settlement scheme.

The probe follows a statement made in the Senate by Vihiga County Senator Godfrey Osotsi asking the Lands Committee to establish an inquiry into the status of a government commitment to resolve the long-standing dispute.

The committee is expected to establish reasons for the “inordinate delay to alter boundaries of the Kakamega and Kibiri forests” to exclude the scheme and allow settlers to legally own the land.

Senator Osotsi said the altering of boundaries was part of the “land exchange programme” initiated in 1985 during the creation of the Vihiga District headquarters in Mbale town, which is currently the county headquarters.

Senator Osotsi has further asked the committee to give the status of the ongoing fencing of Kakamega forest “and show whether the scheme is within the cut line.”

“The committee should give reasons why specific recommendations on the irregular allocation of land in the Ndung’u report have not been implemented,” said Mr Osotsi.

Vihiga County Senator Godfrey Osotsi added “The committee should investigate claims that certain powerful individuals benefitted from the process and have been undermining efforts to issue titles to genuine beneficiaries.”

Last month, the evictees asked the national and county administrations to vacate their ancestral land in Mbale town to enable them to reclaim it after over three decades of failed compensation.

Currently, the land in Mbale town is housing the national and county government headquarters that include the offices of the County Commissioner and the governor.