The Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) has rejected proposals to subdivide and allocate 250,000 acres of public land under its management in Garsen Constituency, Tana River County, warning that the move would undermine national food production and contravene constitutional safeguards.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Lands at Bunge Tower, Agriculture Principal Secretary Dr. Paul Ronoh, accompanied by the Acting ADC Chief Executive Officer, told MPs that the corporation has consistently resisted attempts to excise the land. He stressed that the ranch is central to the country’s food security strategy.
“The ADC has always opposed the subdivision for the reason that it would interfere with the Corporation’s statutory mandate, mainly being food production,” Dr. Ronoh said.
The PS clarified that no formal government directive exists authorising the subdivision, despite claims that the process was initiated under the administrations of former Presidents Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta. He noted that no official written communication has ever been issued to support such assertions.
Dr. Ronoh further informed the committee, chaired by North Mugirango MP Joash Nyamoko, that the matter had previously been raised through a petition submitted to Parliament but had not been heard or concluded.
ALSO READ:
PS Hinga: affordable housing ownership protected beyond 2027 elections
He added that ADC considers the proposed excision to be linked to irregular allocations carried out in violation of the Constitution, which protects public land from unlawful alienation. The issue, he said, is currently under active investigation by the Ethics and Anti‑Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), making it inappropriate to proceed with any implementation steps.
The PS also pointed out that no public participation process had been undertaken as required under Article 10 of the Constitution, and no parliamentary resolution had been passed to support the subdivision.
Dr. Ronoh emphasized that the Cabinet had recently designated the ranch a food security project area, reinforcing its strategic importance and strengthening ADC’s position that the land should remain under its control for agricultural production.
“No specific timeline can be provided, given that ADC land is public land and, under the Constitution, should not be alienated,” he said.
By Masaki Enock
Get more stories from our website: Sacco Review.
For comments and clarifications, write to: Saccoreview@
Kindly follow us via our social media pages on Facebook: Sacco Review Newspaper for timely updates
Stay ahead of the pack! Grab the latest Sacco Review newspaper!
