The Yala swamp community in Siaya is appealing to the Government to hasten the process of registering the wetland as community land to enable them have a say on its use.
According to the members of the community who met at Musunguru grounds to get a report from their representatives who went to the National Lands Commission headquarters in Nairobi, registration of the land will help safeguard it from grabbers.
They said that the current arrangement is skewed to the favour of investors who decides on what to do with the land and even chases the locals from the portions they have been cultivating for subsistence.
Led by the chairman of the Yala swamp community, Okumu Fredrick, the locals said that they were ready to work with anyone who is ready recognize them as the Bonafide owners of the wetland.
Okumu, who led the delegation to the national land commission where the community representatives, Lake Agro limited and the Siaya County Government held discussions over the land ownership, said that the parties agreed in unison that the current lease arrangement that gave the investor a 66-year lease was done illegally.
“We agreed that the lease was illegal and that the land belongs to the people,” he said adding that the parties further agreed that the National Lands Commission will have separate meetings with the community leaders, the County Government of Siaya and the Lake Agro management before convening a joint meeting to agree on the best way forward.
A farmer, Oriaro Franklin said the community had no issue with the investor so long as the law will be followed on the management of the wetland.
“The issue here is how we can all benefit from the wetland. From this land, we get our food and even sell our harvest to finance the education of our children,” she said.
Oriaro, who hailed Governor James Orengo and area member of county assembly, David Ragen for their relentless support to the community, urged them to continue pushing the authorities to have the matter resolved in their favour.
Another farmer, David Juma Agutu called for peaceful co-existence amongst the community and the investor, adding that both need each other.
