Editorial
This thievery must
be brought to a halt
THE emerging facts about Malili Ranching now require that a fresh attention be created on the circumstances that followed after the State set aside Sh 1billion to buy 5,000 acres of land of the ranch to construct an ICT City known as The Malili Technopolis.
As the deal materialised, a group of directors bought land from shareholders at low prices and lay in wait till the cash was released by the government. The parcels of land measuring 7.8 acres at the same sold for as low as Sh 200,000. Desperate farmers thought they were being done favours when speculators doled out cash to them. It is believed that some of the directors bought over 100 pieces from unsuspecting shareholders
When the cash was released, the speculators went to Malili Ranch and tabled documents showing that they were owners of the purchased parcels. By this time each piece was going for Sh 1.4 million. From this, they were paid millions of shillings. In the initial payments, Malili Directors pledged to pay Gateway Logistics some Sh 100m, for allegedly some agency fee for facilitating sale of the land. For this Gateway was paid an initial Sh 40m and told to await the rest after the whole amount was paid.
It is as Gateway pursued its remaining share of Sh 6om that some more sticky fingers got interested in the deal and positioned them to begin looting from Malili farmers. By this time, Josiah Munuka, the Malili Chairman who did the initial transactions had died. The players sought Mr Kanyi, Munuka’s successor to push for the other payment. Kanyi refused to pay a cent . A number of proposals were laid out to him, increasing the alleged commission and how it was to be distributed- complete with bank accounts for lawyers who were privy to the transactions.
Kany refused to pay and went on to pay up farmers at Sh 1.4 for each of their parcels of land. But as this went on, he, together with Mr John Kilonzo, then Treasurer of Malili Ranch, was summoned to CID headquarters and recorded a statement on allegations that he had stolen money, allegedly from the offices of Malili lawyer Mr Erick Mutua at View Park Towers in Nairobi.Kanyi and Co were soon arraigned in court and effectively removed from the helmsman ship of Malili.
Mr Kanyi and Mr Kilonzo were alleged to have stolen Sh143 million meant to compensate owners of the 5,000 acres ranch bought by the government for Sh1 billion to develop an ICT park. Evidence adduced in court shows that the cash they were paid was their entitlement as proceeds of the sale of the plots they had bought from members.
By this time, 112 members had been paid Sh 1.4m for each of their plots. Kanyi’s handpicked successors at Malili decided to hive off Sh 300,000 from the Sh 1.4m due to each parcel belonging to over 400 members who had not been paid by the time Kanya was ousted.
There has been no explanation whatsoever why this amount – a cool Sh 300,000- was hived from farmers’ dues at Malili and it frightening that this matter is not being pursued at all. If anything, this is money that has been stolen in broad daylight under the watch of police and strange hands in the Malili Saga.
As this progresses, Directors of the neighbouring Konza Ranch have been hauled to the CID in similar circumstances and the players are the very same. It is possible that they will try the very same tricks at Konza and succeed in stealing from the poor ordinary citizen who invested long before the thieves were born in the hope of benefitting their children many years later.
It is unfathomable that white-colour theft is taking place in Ukambani at this point in history. It is horrifying that Akamba leadership is quiet over this matter and it seems that a conspiracy to steal from peasants is deep-rooted in its very leadership. Besides, it is tragic that the CID is being used to steal from citizens.
If the events and evidence in the just thrown out Kanyi case is anything to go by, then citizens ought to device another mode of protecting their properties and not rely on police or their leaders any further.
Clearly, the Malili saga must be probed afresh , millions stolen from citizens returned, culprits prosecuted and politicians involved exposed to ensure they will never be elected to run public affairs anywhere in the Republic of Kenya.
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