Kishushe residents demand fresh adjudication of 18,000-acre Taita Taveta land

Residents of Kishushe in Taita Taveta County have called for a fresh land adjudication process covering an 18,000-acre parcel in Kishushe B, alleging irregularities, a lack of public participation and unequal allocation of land intended for the local community. Leaders of Kishushe Ranching Cooperative Society Limited said the parcel forms part of the former Kishushe Ranch and asked the Ministry of Lands to intervene so that it is distributed fairly among eligible members.

The cooperative said it supports the government's Rapid Response Initiative on land matters but opposes the way the exercise has been implemented in Kishushe B. Its secretary, Wilfred Mwalimo, said residents drawn from five zones in Taita sub-county had not been adequately consulted and were unaware of the principles guiding the distribution of the 18,000 acres. "The Kishushe B adjudication must start afresh because there is fraud that is going on in the process of land adjudication," he said.

Mwalimo alleged that some politicians had acquired disproportionately large portions while young people from the community remained landless, asking how a politician could hold 2,000 or 1,000 acres when local youths have none. The society's supervisory chairman, Mwashinga Mjomba, alleged that Senator Johnes Mwaruma holds about 2,000 acres in the disputed parcel and that Wundanyi MP Danson Mwashako holds about 1,000 acres, claims that also touched on several county assembly members and the area chief.

Mwashako denied owning 1,000 acres and challenged his accusers to provide evidence, saying he owns 70 acres bought from a local family that can be traced. A response from Senator Mwaruma was not available at the time of publication, and the claims about the landholdings of other leaders could not be independently verified.

The cooperative wants Lands Principal Secretary Nixon Korir to order a fresh adjudication and Taita Taveta Governor Andrew Mwadime to convene an urgent consultative meeting involving the national and county governments and local administrators. Residents also want the land properly planned to accommodate hospitals, schools and roads. "What we are saying is, we need equity. If the acreage is 18,000, let it be shared equally," Mwalimo said.