From: ouko joachim omolo
Colleagues Home & Abroad Regional News
BY FR JOACHIM OMOLO OUKO, AJ
WUNDANYI-TAITA TAVETA
TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2011
TAKE-1
From July 24- 28 2011 myself (Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ,) Fr Ken Thesing, Maryknoll, Mr Joseph Adero Ngala, People for Peace in Africa are conducting workshop on land and water security in Taita Taveta County, Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa.
Taita Taveta Country is one of the forty seven counties of Kenya, located in the Coast Province of that country. It lies approximately 200 km northwest of Mombasa and 360 km southeast of Nairobi city. It covers an area of 16,975 km2. of which a bulk 62 percent or 11,100 km2. is within Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks.
Historically, about 86 per cent of Taita Taveta County was grabbed by the colonial government which carved out 62 percent of it and converted it into the two national parks while the remaining land was given freely to European war veterans for sisal estates and subsequent governments of Kenyatta, Moi and Kibaki, the Taita Taveta community was therefore displaced and rendered landless.
According to the latest census results, the county has a population of 284,657. These, however have to squeeze within 4,000 square kilometers for settlement and farming as the rest of the land is occupied by ranches, rocks and wetland.
The remaining 5,876 km2 is occupied by ranches, sisal estates, water bodies such as Lakes Chala and Jipe in Taveta and mzima springs, and the hilltop forests which occupy less than 100 km2. or approximately 10 km² out of 587.5 km².
The County has approximately 25 ranches. The main land use in ranche is cattle grazing. The three operating sisal estates of the district are the Teita Sisal Estate, Voi Sisal Estate and Taveta Sisal Estate.
There are 48 forests which have survived on hill tops in the district of which 28 are gazetted and are under government protection and management. They range in size from small 500 square metres with a few remnant trees to modestly vast 2 square kilometres indigenous and exotic forest mountains.
Land grabbing has become one of the major issues in this County. The large scale farmers who are wealthy Kenyans have continued grabbing land in this county. The land owned by the Kenyatta family alone in Taita Taveta farm is 74,000 acres. This is not to mention 50, 000 acres currently under Mrs Beth Mugo, Minister for Public Health and niece of the first President.
Former Assistant Minister for Roads and Public Works Basil Criticos who has been accused of one of the land grabbers in Taita Taveta was sacked by Moi. Mr Criticos had complained about the squatters who occupied his land. Several hundred families had moved on to his farm and a neighbouring farm, beaten up security personnel, and burnt sisal crops.
It is not clear why land in Taita Taveta has been known for its crisis. Historical background could give some hints. Historically the land was not occupied not until the Taita people migrated to Kenya through Tanzania. They migrated to Kenya in five groups each settling at different places of the present Taita Taveta County in Kenya.
While settling in these areas the Taita speaking people interacted with other communities or tribes particularly the Taveta, the Pare of Tanzania, the Borana, the Wakamba and the Maasai. Since then about 20 percent alone are from Western Kenya.
Others who settled in the area include the Falasha (Jewish) that settled in Taita Hills after conflicts in the Ethiopia or settled at the area during some migration south. Today there are sub groups or subtribes of Taita.
They can be divided into Wadawida, who traditionally lived around the Dawida, the Wasagalla who lived around the Saghalla, and the Wakasighau who lived around the Kasighau massif of the Taita Hills.
The Saghalla people speak Kisaghala which is much closer to the Kigiriama or mijikenda (nine tribes who speak almost same language). The Kasighau are closer to the Pare and Chagga of Tanzania but are Taita speaking people.
People for Peace in Africa (PPA)
P O Box 14877
Nairobi
00800, Westlands
Kenya
Tel 254-20-4441372
Website: www.peopleforpeaceafrica.org
This is a good commentary. You forgot to mention that the Church allocated itself some of the best land, displacing the rightful owners. Still, you are quite comprehensive, except you stop short of calling for further action.
Yes. ACTION. Taita people need their land back for their children and grand children. It is ot fair that people should be squeezed into such a small area of land. I cannot nor can you firmly say that Taita people came from Tanzania. Those days there were no borders and people migrated, made deals with the people whom they found, and lived together. We may have similar customs and facial features to the Falashas, Somalis and Boranas as well as the Bushmen or San people, (they were all our ancestors) because Africa had no borders and every person sought the right for their people to live in peace.
So, action needs to be taken to give back the Taita and Taveta people their own land. The government ought to use the Ministry of Lands Trust funds to fund and return Taita lands to its people. Also, KWS must stop bringing animals from other parks to Taita. It should distribute its manpower to all parks in the country and remove excess animals from Taita lands.
As members of the Church, you have the moral obligation to make sure that justice is served to Taita people, many of whom are so overwhelmingly Christian as to believe that even legal issues can be solved through prayer. So,please, do something. Perhaps churches can give some land back to the people for public use.
Peace!!
Phillipina Mwakio,
Ottawa, Canada…..originally from Mgange D
Its true,an action needs to be taken.the figures show that taita taveta people are living in a very congested land yet most of it has been taken by grabbers.i urge the govt 2 please consider our grievances.where are our leaders? Please do something.
Is the sisal estate and tsavo park helping the community? As in :is 50% of the employees coming from the community? Are they undertaking any projects? If so good work,if not do something
Taita is a large County. Even if 20% are from Western and other tribes-Kamba, Kikuyus, Maasais etc, more land should be availed for them as long as their allegiance is in Taita, not where they came from. There are large tracts of land around Lake Chala, and all those sisal estates that we do not need. All that sial shoulsd be replaced by food and livestock. Taitas should not always be threatened by hunger and droughts.
It is time to harvest and store rain water for use in irrigation during the dry weather.
That was a good study especially on the origin and reason as to why taita’s speak different accents yet they are classified as a single tribe. I totally conquer with the study that more has to be done to resolve the land issue.
Taita history is really amazing, i would like to know more about taita people ningependa kununua shamba taveta, thats where i wish to spend the rest of my life ,
Yes! tiz time for making amends, proceeds from the Tsavo should start benefitting local people in form of public projects. More local youth should be employed in the park,kws training school (Manyani),Sarova hotels at Bura etc…and the grabbers should ship outa our land.
Am also wondering if the contractor doing the stretch between Voi and Mwatate is a serious guy at all?! I do not like his snails pace at all. And still on roads, isnt it a shame that almost 50 yrs after uhuru this international trunk road is still a night-marish bone-jarring 3hr murram n dust ordeal?! Somethins gotta give here!!
talk about the benefit people from taveta and taita are getting from all this land grabbers and the national park. i think it will be highly appreciated if we had a decent road connecting us to the rest of country. with all the money coming from the boarder, tourists and businesses people will appreciate leaving with elephants as neighbours
Surely how could a presidetial candidate Uhuru Kenyatta lie to people that he had 30,000 acres only and it is 74,000. I don’t think if he becomes a president he will solve the problem in fact aims at protecting it because it is benefiting their family.
goog study but i take kasg’au to be near duruma and sagalla a tribe of its own .pls more light on this