By Jacqueline Kandagor
In Turkana County, like in most pastoralist areas in the country, land is owned communally.
In this set up, communal land ownership is bestowed upon county councils under the Trust Land Act (Cap 288). This form of ownership ensures equitable distribution of resources for the community members who principally need the land for grazing their animals.
The members of the community don’t have documents for individual parcels of land except in urban areas where they are given allotment letters as proof that they are occupying the land legitimately.
The procedure for getting an allotment letter starts with a visit to the municipal council where the clerk in turn directs the individual to the area councillor who will accompany the person to the area that is yet to be occupied.
This seemingly easy process to many is still a complex and convoluted procedure to many Turkana residents.
Ever since President Kibaki announced the discovery of oil deposits at Nakukulas in Turkana South, there have been major concerns on how to ensure that the locals don’t lose out.
The county council has been equivocal that locals won’t lose their land over the oil discovery, but this is doing little to assure residents who have come to take Government pronouncements with a pinch of salt.
“The locals’ interests are taken care of by the Turkana County Council, the custodian of the land on behalf of the community,” assures Councillor Gabriel Lokoroi.
However, speculators have been falling over each other as they position themselves to get a piece of Turkana land, or shall we say a drop of the new found commodity?
Speculators have been buying land in urban areas and shopping centres with the intention of selling the same later at inflated prices.
“Outsiders are buying land through locals who agree to deal on condition that they get a commission,” explains Christopher Long’or, a resident of Lokichar, the urban centre near Ngamia I.
