On Tuesday, May 9, a section of Rift Valley leaders elected under the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party complained about an alleged plot to grab their ancestral land in Kericho and Bomet Counties.
Led by Bomet Senator Hilary Sigei and Belgut Member of Parliament Nelson Koech, the politicians remarked that the recent sale of James Finlay Tea Company to a Sri Lankan company did not involve the locals.
Castigating the move, Koech claimed they feared an elaborate plan to use multinationals as a conduit to grab their ancestral land was underway.
His argument was that if Finlay’s was exiting the market, residents of the two counties should have been involved in deciding the future of the tea farm.
“There is a deliberate scheme by multinationals to take the land of our people and use it and become brokers on behalf of people who want to profiteer from the soil of our land at the expense of our people.
“Our people were displaced so that the tea farm could be set up. The sale that was done to sell the Finlay’s company as much as it was technically legal was very unfair because the local residents were not involved,” Koech complained.
Koech further alleged that the sale was conducted without the involvement of county government officials from Kericho and Bomet counties, an allegation that could not be independently verified.
“I am told that they have given the local community 15 per cent. I want to ask how and what parameters were used to determine what would remain to the owner of the land,” he quipped.
Adding his voice to the discourse, Sigei claimed that no land transaction should be done in the Rift Valley without involving the local community.
“This is our ancestral land, and we have a right to it. The Constitution of Kenya guided that all 999-year leases be converted to 99-year leases.
“For every land transaction that touches on such an emotive issue, it is naturally expected that the respective counties are involved,” the senator remarked.
Sigei stated that, to his knowledge, no county official was involved in the transaction. The Sri Lankan firm has not yet responded to the leaders' claims.
On Friday, May 5, it was reported that James Finlay Kenya had agreed to sell its tea farm to Sri Lanka's Browns Investments PLC.
"The sale will include all parts of James Finlay Kenya Ltd except the Saosa tea extraction facility,” the company stated back then.
Browns Investment PLC was given 85 per cent of the company, with the remaining share allocated to a locally-owned co-operative.
The sale came against the backdrop of Finlays' suspending two contractors after an expose accused the duo of sexual assault. Finlays also filed a statement with the Kenyan Police calling for investigations into the allegations.
It further launched its independent investigations to unravel the mysteries.
