Elderly members of a land company that has been having leadership wrangles for 13 years have breathed a sigh of relief after all court suits objecting to their land subdivision were finalised.
The finalization of the cases essentially meant the members can now be allocated their parcels of land without further delays.
Each of 1, 768 members of Nanga-Kihoto Naivasha Land Company Ltd will get half an acre of land, that is located in Naivasha, Nakuru county.
The company, whose majority of members are from Gatanga sub-county in Murang’a, have waited for the subdivision for 13 years, during which leadership wrangles rocked the company.
The company’s chairman, Francis Muheria, said they have started subdividing and allocating land to genuine members following the withdrawal of some court suits and dismissal of others by the court, hence clearing all the hurdles that were delaying the exercise.
Muheria, who was speaking when he met the members at Gatanga Catholic Church Hall on Saturday, said the contracted surveyor has already done 85 percent of surveying work on the 1,240 acres of land located in Karati location, near Naivasha town.
Muheria, who was accompanied by the company’s Lawyer Francis Njanja, informed the members that the surveyor has also set aside land for the public utilities.
“Some land parcels are set to host land for a police station, Chief’s camp, and learning institutions, among others,” stated Muheria.
The chairman further cautioned members of the public, especially those in Naivasha, against being deceived that the land was on sale, saying those in search of information should enquire from the company’s office in Kirwara town, in Gatanga, Murang’a.
“We have reports that some unscrupulous individuals are selling fake share certificates for our land to unsuspecting people, mostly in Naivasha. Be aware not to fall into the trap, as more than 100 people have been conned already,” observed Muheria.
He continued, “As members of Nanga-Kihoto Company, we are grateful for the support we have received from the Lands CS Alice Wahome, Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata and the county government of Nakuru, among other leaders.”
On his part, lawyer Njanja faulted former directors of the company for lodging suits blocking subdivision of land, thus subjecting the elderly members into frustrations.
“It was unfortunate to keep elderly members waiting to get their rightful pieces of land for so long. They used their earnings from coffee produce, which they contributed through their factories, to acquire the land back in the early 1980s,” said Njanja.
He added that the company has been holding AGMs annually and filing returns to the registrar of companies as the law demands.
One of the members, Beatrice Nyambura Githio, said there was a light at the end of the tunnel following the board’s commitment to end the wrangles that had dominated the company.
“We have undergone a lot of struggles as some of the members were jailed on fabricated charges by the former management as they tried to silence us from seeking transparency,” said Nyambura.
Another member, David Ng’ang’a, said they will commence developing their land after they acquire title deeds.
By Bernard Munyao
