EAC and Regional Development CS Malonza’s outstanding performance has been welcomed by Tana River residents
Their long cry about the demarcation of the TARDA land where they entitlement have been factored
National Assembly Public Petition’s Committee Chair and Garsen MP Ali Wario expressed their confidence in Malonza’s dispute resolution mechanism
The Cabinet Secretary for East African Community, and Regional Development Peninah Malonza has assured the residents of Tana River County that their plight will be solved amicably
Appearing before the Kitui East Member of Parliament Nimrod Mbai led National Assembly Committee on Public Petitions on Wednesday 25th October, Malonza indicated willingness to visit the agitated residents where the Tana Athi River Development Authority [TARDA] sits on
“Within the next three weeks we can have another meeting with the stakeholders and all other relevant authorities to get precisely on what the residents want. This will enable government carry out the project at TARDA without hindrance,” Malonza stated
Petitioners led by area Member of Parliament Ali Wario petitioned to parliament to help them sit with the government to agree on how they will benefit from the 25,000 hectares of land that government disinherited them back 1980s
According to the petitioners, they wish if the government can issue them with title deeds out of the 13,000 hectares of land that has not been in use since the government intended to use the 12,000 hectares on rice production
Wario said that he welcomes Presidential directive last month where he directed all relevant government agencies to coordinate and make sure that the plight of residents is considered
The committee’s Chair Kitui East Member of Parliament Nimrod Mbai ruled that Presidential directives are not interpreted and so should be implemented as he directed
The county executive committee member in charge of environment and lands had sought parliament’s interventions arguing that government did not consider having public participation on the proposed project at TARDA
“Adequate public participation has never been done, never involved even county government in coming with the mapping and how they would like to run the project,” She disclosed
The 74 year-old Mzee Joel Ruhu who represented the community’s case at Malindi Law Court and their grievances at parliament said they will be satisfied if government will give them part of their ancestral land instead of fencing and absorbing them while dwelling in the said parcel of land“Before TARDA came in the land was owned by municipal, local indigenous and registered as a trust land and state land. They found community living there until todate. We wrote to the then minister of lands James Orengo to stop titling the land but they eventually got the tittle deeds,” Mzee Joel Ruhu disclosed
Members of Parliament conclusively, urged the government to try and find a solution whenever they want to carryout certain projects instead of displacing and disinheriting locals and indigenous people