Documente Academic
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3rd
STATUS OF KARI LANDS AT NAIVASHA AND IMMINENT THREATS AS AT START OF FEBRUARY, 2011 A. INTRODUCTION KARI Naivasha has a national mandate for livestock research in Kenya. It therefore addresses research aspects related to feeds, feeding/nutrition, breeding/improvement and general management. The species and breeds researched on include dairy cattle, dual purpose Sahiwal cattle and their crosses, dairy and dual purpose goats, poultry (including improved indigenous types) and pigs. At the moment there are about 1300 cattle, 500 goats, 1500 chicken and 150 pigs. The centre is a source of technologies, knowledge and information for commercial and sustainable animal production. To achieve its objectives the centre has 120 permanent staff, 4,000 ha of land, and the prerequisite physical infrastructure (residential houses, offices, laboratories, fences, roads, vehicles, water etc). The Centre has been nominated for development to become the Regional Dairy Centre of Excellence and thus an important research hub for Eastern and Central Africa under the auspices of the Eastern Africa Agricultural Productivity Project (EAAPP). KARI Naivasha has been using these land since 1903, when it was set aside for research purposes. History records show that the land initially belonged to the Maasai who relocated to Narok. However, large tracts of research land at the centre have been allocated to private individuals without regard to the strategic research needs of the country and the region at large. The grim scenario is that KARI stands to lose about 50% of the above land (2,000 ha) if not more unless urgent measures ate taken to arrest the situation and revert the land to research. Since late 2009, private individuals have been seriously interfering with the activities of the institute through threats, settlement, destruction of vegetation and of government infrastructure (fences, water troughs, houses, pipes etc), surveying, illegal grazing, and even threat to life and security at KARI Naivasha. The squatters livestock are also indiscriminately breeding with research livestock thus jeopardizing the national breeding programme. To say the least we have started the year on a rather bad note given all the threats. The institute has been frustrated and feels helpless since for strange reasons, the government security apparatus have been unable or unwilling to assist the institute. Surpringly, another allotment letter was issued to the so Isahakia Self Help Group by the commissioner of lands to one of the KARI land parcels , LR No. 5211 on 7 th December, 2011. The group invaded the centre from 24 th January, 2011 and have been undertaking survey guarded by armed administration policemen and KWS wardens. Both the group and the armed APs have been harassing KARI guards including at one time arresting
them and locking them in police cells. On 2nd January, 2011, they chased away KARI guards and herdsmen from parts of the and locked them out of two parcels while locking in some KARI livestock herds. The invaders placed their own guards and their security was enforced by APs. The following day, 3rd January, 2011, a the KARI livestock was driven out of the farm by at the invaders and a contingent of administration policemen under the command of the local Chief. These research needs are articulated in KARIs Strategic Plan and EAAPP implementation framework. The irregular land allocations are likely to lead to far reaching negative ramifications on research and inevitably place the future of the livestock industry in Kenya and the region in jeopardy. The Ndungu Land Report has taken cognizance of some the centres irregularly allocated land. The report has recommended that all irregularly allocated research land should be revoked. Similarly, the National Land Policy legislated by Parliament in 2009 is categorical that all public land acquired irregularly will be repossessed. Details of the land parcels at the centre including the irregularly allocated ones are given in part B.
3.
28 ha
Has seriously hampered research plans and capacity. Irregular allocations should be revoked and titles issued
4.
Top Farm
LR No. 5210
544.0 ha
5.
Top Farm
LR No. 5211
514.4 ha
Farm sub-divided. Private individuals have been coming and claiming the land. Some have title deeds.
6.
Karati Farm
LR No. 5212
405.2 ha
7.
Quarantine Farm
LR No. 12248
400 ha
KARI evicted in 1990s. Farm currently under intensive floriculture farming by private companies KARI evicted in the late 1990s. All residential houses, offices and other farm structures
Irregular allocations should be revoked and titles issued. Irregular allocations should be revoked and title issued.
for imported/exported breeding livestock.. Had over 15 residential houses, offices, dip, animal structures and stores.
LR NO. 425/21 and not LR No 5210 which is not the case. It is interesting to note that as early as 2003, Igal Elfezouty, Managing Director Panda Flowers had written to Director KARI in a letter dated 21-1-2003 requesting that they lease out the same land, LR No. 5210 from KARI. In the same letter, Mr Igal had admitted that his company is in occupation of LR No 5212 and that they were using it for Floriculture. By the end of 2010, the number of squatters settled on LR No. 5210 had increased and the livestock herd sizes they are keeping on the government farm nearly tripled. The squatters livestock are also indiscriminately breeding with research livestock thus jeopardizing the national breeding programme. Strangely, the provincial administration and other security arms of the government are unable or unwilling to help KARI to get the squatters out and indeed seem to side with the illegal settlers (squatters). The destruction of vegetation and farm structures (fences, pipes, water, houses etc ) where they have settled is immense. On 24th January, 2011, a group calling itself the Isahakia Self Help Group brought in Surveys at about 10 am to demarcate LR No. 5210 and LR N0. 5211. They were repulsed by the KARI security guards. However, the same people came back on 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th January, 2011 in a convoy of three vehicles with armed KWS wardens in tow to do the land surveying. On 29th and 30th January, 2011, they reinforced their security by bring in at least 3 armed Administration Policemen (APs) as well as the local Chief. Although, the KARI and DTI managers combined security tried to intervene, they have been helpless since the demarcating surveyors were guarded by the said armed KWS wardens and APs. This status has continued to date i.e. 1-2-2011 and 2-2-2-11. Indeed, during the two days, KARI guards were harassed, some arrested and locked in police cells. The main gate to parts of LR No. 5211 were locked from outside by the grabbers, denying access to KARI staff to do their routine work. Surpringly, another allotment letter was issued to the so Isahakia Self Help Group by the commissioner of lands to one of the KARI land parcels , LR No. 5211 on 7th December, 2011. The group invaded the centre from 24th January, 2011 and have been undertaking survey guarded by armed administration policemen and KWS wardens. Both the group and the armed APs have been harassing KARI guards including at one time arresting them and locking them in police cells. On 2nd January, 2011, they chased away KARI guards and herdsmen from parts of the and locked them out of two parcels while locking in some KARI livestock herds. The invaders placed their own guards and their security was enforced by APs. The following day, 3rd January, 2011, a the KARI livestock was driven out of the farm by at the invaders and a contingent of administration policemen under the command of the local Chief. (b) Top Farm, LR No. 5211 The land size for this parcel is 514.4 ha. Again, the land is jointly used by KARI, and the Ministry of Livestock Development, two departments (Sheep and Goats Project and Dairy Training Institute). This land is used for
research on Sahiwal cattle, sheep and goats. The farm has over 50 staff houses, a public primary school and a government dispensary. The farm also has crucial livestock infrastructures such as livestock houses, stores, night bomas, dips, and crushes. Records at both the Survey of Kenya and Ministry of Lands show that most of this land has been subdivided into at least 14 parcels and allocated to several private developers. Over the years, especially in the recent past, we have struggled to wand off these private developers as they attempt to cultivate, build or fence off the parcels they claim. KARI has leased part of this farm to a subsidiary of Homegrown Ltd, a horticultural firm. On 30-4-2010, Homegrown surrendered the leased part of LR No 5211 back to KARI. However, during the handover process, several members of the ISAHAKIA Self-Help Group appeared and almost disrupted the process. Again they were laying claim on the leased parcel and they wanted to forcefully move in. However, they were prevented by the centre security. On Labour Day, 1-5-2010, an even bigger group of ISAHAKIA Self-Help came to invade the farm. However, the group was warded off from this parcel by KARI security. Note that the part initially leased to Homegrown Ltd has been ear-marked to be a proto-type research and demonstration farm for the Dairy Centre of Excellence (DoCE) under the auspices of the Eastern Africa Agricultural Productivity Project (EAAPP).
1. Assist KARI Naivasha on Security. At the moment the lives of the staff is threatened on more security
guards are urgently required.
2. Put a court injunction to stop any construction, interference and settlement on all the irregularly
allocated research lands.
3. Place a caveat emptor on all the irregularly allocated lands stating that it is government research land and
that no one should purport to own it or has a right to sell or place any development thereon.
4. Report all irregular allocations of strategic research land to KACC, Parliamentary Committee on
Agriculture, Kenya Land Alliance, Operation Firimbi, etc.
5. Revoke all irregular allocations and repossess the lands and acquire title deeds for KARI. 5