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MP sucked into fresh Del Monte land lease circus

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5 years ago

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A petition by Thika Town MP Patrick Wainaina that calls for the renewal of a land lease for Del Monte Ltd has been met with opposition from members of a lobby group in his constituency. Wainaina in a statement issued in parliament said jobs of at least 6,500 employees of the multinational fruit grower and processor, would be at stake if the government does not renew a 99-year land lease which is expected to expire in 2022.

However, members of Kandara Residents Association and representatives of villagers in various Thika slums including Gachagi, Matharau, Kiandutu and Kiang’ombe villages have questioned the MP’s motive, terming it as “questionable and self-serving.”

Led by their spokesman, Phillip Kamau, members of the lobby group claimed a recent survey had established that the company was occupying more than 7,000 acres of “idle land,” which belongs to the government, and insisted the portion should be surrendered and allocated to locals.

MP sucked into fresh Del Monte land lease circus – Weekly CitizenPatrick Wainaina

Kamau who was addressing a press conference in Thika charged that proceeds from the fruit processor only benefited people in America and Europe and the “impact of workers losing jobs is insignificant to us as many do not come from the locality”.

His sentiments were echoed by a representative of Gatuanyaga residents Joseph Gachengechi who said the firm employs less than 50 people from the area and majority of the workers are from other regions. “If the MP has the interests of Thika people at heart, he should call residents for a public participation forum to discuss the matter. We were surprised to see him in parliament asking the president to intervene, yet he had not consulted us as his constituents,” Gachengeci said.

Ferdinand Waititu

The lobby group criticised the leadership of Murang’a and Kiambu counties claiming there was an attempt to snatch over 4,000 acres of land from “genuine beneficiaries who have fought for its surrender by Del Monte”. Wainaina tabled a statement in parliament saying 6,500 direct jobs were at stake and 28,000 indirectly if the company’s land lease is not renewed. He is also opposed to the land being surrendered to Murang’a and Kiambu counties under which the company’s land falls. The legislator also claimed Kenya stands to lose Sh 10 billion in forex income including Sh7.5 billion on suppliers “backward linkage” and petitioned Uhuru Kenyatta to save the company from imminent closure. Last year, former Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu signed an agreement with Del Monte in which the company management agreed to cede 630 acres of its unused land in return for a renewal of lease.

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