The Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) has opposed the proposed subdivision and allocation of 250,000 acres of public land under its management in Garsen Constituency, Tana River County, citing ongoing Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) probes into alleged irregular allocations.
Appearing before the National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Lands at Bunge Tower on Thursday, Agriculture Principal Secretary Dr Paul Ronoh, accompanied by the Acting ADC Chief Executive Officer, told MPs that the corporation has consistently resisted efforts to excise the land, maintaining that it is central to national food production.
“The ADC has always opposed the subdivision for the reason that it would interfere with the Corporation’s statutory mandate, mainly being food production,” PS Ronoh said.
He told the committee, chaired by North Mugirango MP Joash Nyamoko, that there is no formal government directive authorising the subdivision, despite long-standing claims that the process was initiated following interventions by former Presidents Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta. He said no official written communication has ever been issued to support such assertions.
Dr Ronoh further informed MPs that the matter had previously been raised through a petition submitted to the Parliamentary Committee on Lands, but had not been heard or concluded.
He added that ADC considers the proposed excision to be linked to illegal allocations carried out in violation of the Constitution, which safeguards public land from unlawful alienation.
According to the PS, the issue is currently under active investigation by both the EACC and the DCI, making it inappropriate to proceed with any implementation steps at this stage.
He also told MPs that no public participation process had been undertaken as required under Article 10 of the Constitution, and no parliamentary resolution had been passed to support the subdivision.
Dr Ronoh further noted that the Cabinet had recently designated the ranch a food security project area, reinforcing its strategic importance and strengthening ADC’s position that the land should remain under its control for agricultural production.
“No specific timeline can be provided, given that ADC land is public land and, under the Constitution, should not be alienated,” he said.
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