Ruto to Give Away Land Amid Acquisition Controversy

DP William Ruto at the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya National Convention, at Nairobi Baptist Church, on Wednesday, May 11, 2022.
DP William Ruto at the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya National Convention, at Nairobi Baptist Church, on Wednesday, May 11, 2022.
DPPS

Deputy President, William Ruto, has made public his plans to give out parcels of land for free to squatters living in the coastal region even as he continues dodging the controversy surrounding ownership of land he owns in the region.

Addressing a rally during his Coast tour on Tuesday, May 24, the DP promised that if he ascends to presidency in August, he will set up a kitty and save money to purchase land.

He further noted that he was saddened by living conditions of some Coast residents, promising to use the kitty to provide land for squatters.

"We have agreed that we will have a special kitty where we shall save government money to purchase abandoned land. We shall buy and distribute them to Coast residents who are living like squatters," explained Ruto.

DP Ruto addressing a crowd during a rally in Murang'a county on Monday, May 23, 2022.
DP Ruto addressing a crowd during a rally in Murang'a county on Monday, May 23, 2022.
William Ruto

His sentiments followed shortly after he claimed that his ownership of the controversial 2,536-acre Mata Farm in Taita Taveta county was genuine.

In a meeting at the Lumo Wildlife Sanctuary, Ruto argued that he assumed ownership of the land after extending a helping hand to former Taveta MP, Basil Criticos, who had a huge debt owed to Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC).

“I am also a Mata elder because I helped the former Taveta MP to settle his loan at AFC and he gave me a portion of land,” said the DP.

Matungulu MP, Stephen Mule, however, poked holes in Ruto's explanation claiming that there was no evidence the DP acquired the parcel legally.

"Why is he coming to explain this now? Because he wants to woo the Coast people and show that it was a clean deal. We need evidence that he helped Taveta MP Basil Criticos to offset a loan because we can’t trust DP Ruto with land issues," he stated.

Separately, the DP is also embroiled in a court battle with the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) over his acquisition of the Weston Hotel land.

Both parties are laying claim to the parcel in which KCAA are demanding more compensation from a firm allied to the Deputy President.

During his tour, Ruto also promised to ensure that the port is returned to the Coast to benefit its residents claiming that some unscrupulous individuals had championed for most of its activities to be moved to Naivasha.

"We built a railway but some used the facility for their own benefit through conmanship. We shall kickstart the Dongo - Kundu project which is expected to offer employment to the youth within six months in order to build the special economic zone to give residents a chance," Ruto promised.

Entrance to Weston Hotel in Nairobi.
Entrance to Weston Hotel in Nairobi.
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