Reports Leo Odera Omolo.
The Provincial Administration and police authorities in Migori County have been asked to launch a thorough investigation with the view to apprehending a group of conmen who are reportedly cheating the residents of Awendo and its environs that they could help them regains thousands of hectares, of land on which hey were removed from 30years ago to make room for the establishment of the SonySugar Company.
Before the establishment of SonySugar company in 1977, thousands of local residents were removed from their ancestral land,which now forms the bulks of Sony Sugar on exclusive estate estimated to be measuring about 5,000 hectares. Two sub-locations were affected, These were Waware and Waundha located in Sakwa East location, Awendo district, Migori County..
The land was acquired compulsorily under the Land Acquisition act. The affected families were adequately compensated by the government and asked to move on. Those whose land was acquired had their names gazette in he official Gazette showing the acreage of land each farmer had before it was taken away.
About a month ago a group of people suspected to be conmen formed a committee, and told the affected farmers that their land was not taken away by the government, but had been bought by GEMA As part of its investment wing, and that the cultural-cum-investment organization , which for many years was led by the late Njenga Karume has since surrendered the land and it wanted the same to revert to its original owners. The group has opened an office in Awendo town and Its coordinator is called Mr Richard Mamba Nyamani who is issuing forms and asking the farmers to sign it.
The group has held a series of meetings, the last one was held last week at the home of one William O. Okola, which is close to Miriwa Market.Owing to land scarcity in the area, many farmers who appeared to be ignorant of what is going on have signed those forms hoping that parts of SonySugar nucleus estate farm would be slashed, re-surveyed and given back to the former owners these meetings take places in behind closed door shopping centers in private homesteads instead of being organized in government facilities a such as at the D, Chiefs or D.’s office, and from the looking of things it appears that the local provincial administration is not aware of what is going on.
Some of the enlightened farmers who have seen these forms, immediately became suspicious that this could be the work of conmen out to fleece them of their hard earned money. Some of the resident became suspicious when the group invoked the name of the defunct GEMA and were left baffled and wondering why and how the organization which was mainly operating in Central, Nairobi and Rift Valley region could have managed to acquired thousands of hectares if land in South Nyanza in 1976/1977. Most of them viewed the information as far fetched and as such devoid of the truth and have now called upon the government to investigate.
The residents have called on Migori Governor and Awendo D.C to come out of their slumber. They should come out and enlighten the public on this contentious issue before members of the public are conned of their money.
A survey carried in the area by thus writer revealed there is no land space in the area. All the parcels of land which the government had acquired was handed to he SONY SUGAR Company and almost all under the sugar cane plantations with exception of the small portion of land which was reserved for Awendo Town, and which was under the management of County Council of Migori and later Awendo Town Council. There is not even an iota of vacant land parcel left for anyone to retrieve back.
Asked by thus writer how the land would revert back to the original owners, Mr Mambas said over the phone that all the forms and signatures would be handed to a the group’s lawyer in Kisii Town who in turn would file the case in the High Court to demand that the land inquisition be returned to the owner. The coordinator , however, could not reviel the name of the group’s lawyer in Kisii,
This is not the first time for the residents of the area to suffer under the cunning conmen. A couple of years way back, another group of conmen had emerged in the are which fleeced the residents of thousands of shillings under the pretext that the landless people would be given land and settled in Maasaland at place called Keiyan In Trans-Mara district in Narok COUNTY. The group got away scot-free while laughing all the way to the bank. So far nobody has been given land in that area..
The forms are being distributed ibn an office in Awendo town, where people go and sign them giving particulars of their national identitity cards etc. Those inquiring about the scheme are shown some of the most outdated land maps and copies of stale official gazette publication showing where they former homesteads were located before the mass eviction of 1977.
ENDS