National Land Commission demands Lamu land file

NAIROBI, KENYA: The National Land Commission (NLC) wants files for the contested 500,000 acres of land in Lamu County returned to their custody.

Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu took the files away from the registry at Ardhi House three months ago when she closed it down for reorganisation.

In a letter to the CS, the commission said it is probing the 22 parcels of the disputed land and will conclude working on them soon.

NLC Chairman Muhammad Swazuri said in the letter dated September 17 that they are progressing well with the probe and they had briefed the President on the same.

"Kindly make available to us the files in order for us to corroborate the information so far collected. We intend to conclude the probe in one week's time," said Swazuri.

The directors of the targeted parcels have been told to give their written documents by today on the review of the grants.

The commission said it intends to review the grants to the companies allocated the land between September 23 and 26. "The commission has received numerous complaints regarding legality of various grants and dispositions. Consequently, further to hearings held between August 21 and 28, the commission will review the following grants in Lamu square between September 23 and 26, 2014," it said.

Swazuri and his team are in Lamu for the exercise.

The commission met President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House, Nairobi, last weekend and said it would revoke titles of illegally acquired land in Lamu.

The directors of the 22 companies were taken through a quasi-judicial process at Kenyatta International Convention Centre last month as part of the probe into the issue.