Kwale residents demand a review of 9-acre ranch ownership

Residents from 26 villages in Mackinnon Road ward in Kwale County have appealed to the government to review the ownership of an 8,592.107-acre ranch.

They appealed to President William Ruto and the National Land Commission to intervene, saying they were shortchanged in the registration of the Dokatakata Ranch by the late former area chief.

The said administrator registered the ranch as Mackinnon Road Dokata Ranch instead of the originally agreed title name, Buru Duruma Ranch.

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Over the weekend, the residents held a protest at Dokata Ranch within Egu "B" village in Mackinnon Ward in Kinango constituency, Kwale County.

Led by two elders, Ayubu Mambo and Kadii Saro, the residents appealed to the government to revoke the lease of the ranch and ensure they are brought on board.

They were flanked by Said Mazera Hussein, Tsimba Chaka, and Boru Dede, among others.

They vowed not to surrender their ancestral land, adding that they were ready to fight to the bitter end to reclaim ownership of the grazing ground.
           
The residents of the villages who are livestock keepers said their initiative for economic empowerment has turned into a reward by a former area chief to his family members, including his wives and a few of his brothers.

The villagers drawn from the Duruma tribe accused powerful individuals of taking advantage of their illiteracy to irregularly register the land in their names.

They said they were assured that forming a ranch of their own would empower them economically, as it would unite them and have common grazing grounds and water reserves for their livestock, but it has turned out to be a nightmare.
         
"We later learnt the ranch's title name had been mysteriously changed to Mackinnon Road Dokata Ranch through collaboration with officers of the Kenyan Wildlife Service. We want the registration of the ranch to be reviewed to include us," Mambo said.

READ: Court orders Kwale county to settle 1,350 squatters on disputed land

The villagers who had contributed their parcels of land for the initiative said they had been subjected to poverty after losing their source of livelihood.

They said land had been taken away after they fully embraced the idea of establishing the ranch, hoping that it would positively impact their lives.

"We had held a meeting and resolved to contribute our land and our livestock, which we were assured would be a starting point for our economic transformation, but we have lost our land to this scheme," they said.

They said they are now living in fear after several eviction attempts and being assaulted by hired goons deployed in the area.
       
They said they had tried to seek redress through local leaders, but they have yet to get justice.

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