PRESS STATEMENT BY HER EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR OF KIRINYAGA, HON

ANNE WAIGURU, AND THE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP OF KIRINYAGA ON THE

PURPORTED COMPLETION OF SURVEYING AND ALLOCATION OF LAND AT THE
MWEA SETTLEMENT SCHEME

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.

Gathered here today are the County Government of Kirinyaga leaders, National Government
representatives from Kirinyaga, representatives of the nine kikuyu clans in Kirinyaga County,
and the people of Kirinyaga.

Our attention has been drawn to media reports attributed to an official of the County
Government of Embu that the process of surveying and allocating land at the Mwea Settlement
Scheme has been undertaken by the Embu County Government, jointly with the National Land
Commission, and is now complete. These media reports have been corroborated by
representatives of the nine kikuyu clans who have visited the ground and confirmed the
existence of beacons.

To start with, the purported subdivision and allocation is not just utterly unethical and highly
irregular but also an assault to the rule of law, because it has been done in contravention of an
active court order, and an affront to the values of good neighbourliness, inclusivity and fairness.
The move is bad, uncalled for and should not be supported by any sane person.

In the wake of this weird and unrealistic assertion of the said a Mr. Josephat Kithumbu, it is
important, if not imperative, to note the following:
1. The ownership dispute between Embu and Kirinyaga Counties over the Mwea Settlement
Scheme has not ended, and is at a more tense situation due to the irresponsible actions and
utterances of some of the actors in the matter. Kirinyaga people will not trade off their
birth-right in exchange for an unfair rushed solution to the dispute.
2. The purported surveying and allocation of land to 7200 beneficiaries was not inclusive since
there was no genuine public participation and the primary stakeholders who are the nine
kikuyu clans and the Mwea Settlement Scheme residents were neither involved nor
consulted;
3. The unilateral decision of the Embu County Government to move into the disputed land is
recipe for anarchy and chaos. We are aware there are those who desire to cause anarchy
and chaos because anarchy and chaos are good forests for mischief. This is evident from
attempts to use security forces to force the compliance of those who have stood their
 ground in defiance against the injustice of dispossession about to be visited upon the
people of Kirinyaga and the Mwea settlement scheme residents. However, the days of such
people are numbered and their time is over because this issue must be resolved once and
for all, now!
4. For those who are the purported beneficiaries to live in peace and security they need to be
in harmony with the rest of the interested parties who include the people of Kirinyaga
5. It is wrong for the County Government of Embu to use the allocation of land in Mwea
Settlement Scheme to divert attention from the historical question of Embu County and
Kirinyaga County border that remains a thorny issue
6. Continued utterances such as those attributed to the Embu County Land Executive, Mr.
Josephat Kithumbu, only serve to stoke public hatred and anger over a matter if properly
handled is likely to entrench the good neighbourliness of our peoples. We hope that the
said official will take it as his obligation, responsibility and duty to clarify or retract this
deliberate misinformation to avoid misleading the public.

That noted, we wish to categorically state the following:

1. Mwea Settlement Scheme land belongs to the people of Kirinyaga and the Mwea
Settlement Scheme residents
2. All the purported title deeds issued in respect of the Mwea Settlement Scheme are invalid
because due process was not followed. Titles were produced before demarcation and
allocation of land.
3. The process of resolving the ownership and allocation tussle must be inclusive, people-
centred, and the identification of beneficiaries must be open, transparent, and fair.
4. A forcible survey and allocation exercise overseen by security forces and experiencing
resistance from residents will certainly explode in confrontation, and result in bloodshed.
5. Embu County Lands Executive, Mr. Kithumbu, be charged in court with contempt of court
for violating a court order and presiding over the surveying and allocation of land in the
settlement scheme
6. A taskforce comprising of representatives of Ministries of Interior, Lands, National Land
Commission, Kenya National Human Rights Commission, representatives of MPs for
Mbeere South and Mwea, County Governments of Embu and Kirinyaga be formed to
resolve this matter within 90 days.

Thank you all.

God bless Kirinyaga.
God bless Kenya.