Kwale residents reject land survey

Residents of Kuranze ranch in Kinango subcounty, Kwale County, have opposed the government-led land surveying exercise, citing lack of consent and exclusion from the decision-making process.

 The exercise, which began earlier this week, was met with resistance from community members who argued that it violated their constitutional right to public participation.

 Kuranze is a key grazing ground and has traces of gold which has attracted various interests including investors from outside the area.

Led by community spokesperson Hamisi Mdoe, the residents said they were neither consulted nor informed before surveyors arrived in the area adding that the move violated their rights to public participation.

 “This move violates our rights as enshrined in the Constitution. There was a gazetted committee and that committee accommodated all communities, but they chose another committee and they changed it every time." said Mdoe during a gathering in Kuranze.

 He insisted that any process affecting land must involve the people who live on it, especially when it concerns ancestral land.

 Farmers in the area have expressed fear that the survey could dispossess them of land they have occupied for a long period.

 A farmer, Ms Mupa Mzungu, warned that future generations risk being left homeless if the process continues without community input as the government surveyors will allocate their ancestral land to people from other areas.

 “This is our ancestral land. We have buried our parents here. Our children know no other home. If they survey and subdivide without us, where will our grandchildren go?” Mzungu asked.

 Another farmer, Mr Zuwa Mrabu, accused the Kwale County government of allegedly sidelining the newly established committee and appointing a new one that has not taken care of the interests of residents.

 He appealed to Puma member of county assembly Mr James Dawa and Kwale governor Ms Fatuma Achani to intervene and dissolve the committee that the surveyors are working with to restore confidence in the exercise among residents.

 Mrabu said the County government decided not to engage them and preferred the new committee leaving the gazetted committee.

 According to Mrabu, the county opted to work with a newly formed committee while ignoring the legally gazetted committee that the community recognised.

 “They brought their own people and ignored the committee we know. That is not public participation. That is an imposition,” Mrabu said.

 However, area village chairman Mr Tsuma Nyundo, said they are not rejecting the land survey but they want to be informed and make proper decisions through public participation.

 “We are not rejecting the land survey. What we are saying is: inform us, involve us, and let us make proper decisions. We cannot allow decisions about our land to be made in our absence,” Nyundo stated.

 Nyundo called on the county government to suspend the exercise and convene a public forum where residents can raise concerns, ask questions, and give their views.

 He emphasised that meaningful engagement would prevent conflict and ensure the process benefits the community.

 The tension in the area highlights growing mistrust between residents and County officials over land matters in Kuranze.

 Land remains an emotive issue in the region, where most families in Kuranze in Kwale County depend on subsistence farming, mining activities and have no formal title deeds.

 Many fear that surveying could pave the way for private developers or government projects that do not benefit locals.

 Kuranze is a village and ranch area located in Puma Ward, Kinango Sub-County of Kwale County, predominantly occupied by the Duruma community.

 It is currently embroiled in significant land disputes and security challenges, with local leaders and residents demanding accountability regarding the allocation of community land.

 The area is experiencing tensions over the alleged illegal registration of individuals on community land and the ongoing disputes regarding boundary demarcation and the involvement of outside investors, with claims that the land was meant for local community use rather than private exploitation.

 Kuranze is situated in the mining-rich zone of Kinango, bordering Taita Taveta County, which has led to overlapping claims and boundary disputes between the two counties.

 The region is known for mining activities and is considered a vital area for livestock grazing and in the past, the area has experienced clashes involving pastoralist communities over grazing rights.

 The situation in Kuranze remains volatile, with demands for the National Land Commission (NLC) to intervene and restore order to the community land.