The government has warned people who have invaded part of the 16,000 acre Tana Irrigation Scheme land in Hola town, Tana River County.
Principal Secretary in the ministry of Water and Irrigation Joseph Irungu said that private developers had invaded the land belonging to the scheme that is under the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) and put up permanent structures and storey buildings.
Mr. Irungu said that very soon the government will embark on demolition and eviction of the squatters to pave way for government projects.
“I am appealing to those who have grabbed NIA land and put up structures to vacate, this is an order and we shall demolish those houses because this land has got its purpose which is agriculture,” he said in Hola during an inspection tour of the construction of huge capacity water reservoirs for NIA.
He added that any plan to change land ownership and usage can only be done with consultation with the National Land Commission (NLC).
Most of Hola town spaces are owned by the Tana Irrigation Scheme but private developers, politicians and squatters took advantage of it lying idle to subdivide amongst themselves and develop.
The invaders even disregarded signage erected indicating the land belongs to the Irrigation authority and should not be tress passed.
“NIB PROPERTY TRESS PASSERS KEEP OFF” read most of the signage dotting part of the town and in some areas the developers have pulled down the signage and erected stone walls and storey buildings.
Tana River Senator Juma Wario who had accompanied the PS together with Galole MP Said Hiribae, his Garsen counterpart Ali Hashaka Wario and a host of MCAs told the PS to go slow saying that those who had invaded the NIA land near and within Hola town should be the ones to be evicted but not those who reside in villages kilometers away from the town.
“I was shocked when you said that people will be evicted because most of this people were born in those villages but the ones that happened in town should be one to be dealt with,” he said.
Area MCA Saida Loda asked the government not to demolish the houses within the irrigation land urging the PS to instead construct houses for farmers who have to travel many kilometers to access their farms.
“We want you to construct us houses so that farmers can till their land next to their houses,” he said.
The plan comes at a time when Governor Dhadho Godhana is relocating the county headquarters and the town to a more spacious place.
In the plan , also the relocation of residents in villages prone to floods which Governor Dhadho said will be relocated in 43 village clusters placed on hire grounds.
Governor Dhadho Godhana said that 48 village clusters program will be a permanent solution to perennial flooding as the Sh. 3.5 billion Cluster villages will be set up on higher ground several kilometers from the river Tana.
“The only solution is for you people to agree and move out into the cluster villages and reserve this area for agriculture activities,” he said.
Mr. Dhadho has already fronted the idea to the national government and recently he toured development work at the Handampia cluster village in Tana North Sub County together with Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa last year.
Owners of seven ranches have also seeded off more than 40,000 acres in Tana Delta Sub County for the cluster program.