Kwale Governor assures 4,000 Vidziyani residents of their safety after loosing court battle
Kwale Governor with a section of Vidziyani residents at The County headquarters/Caroline Kahonzi
By Caroline Kahonzi
Kwale County Governor Fatuma Achani has assured over 4,000 residents living in Vidziyani village Msambweni sub-county of their safety, despite losing a court case involving a disputed land between a sugar company and the area residents.
The locals have been using over 3,000 acres of land in the area for agricultural purposes for over 4 decades now, before the defunct Ramisi sugar company collapsed in 1989.
However, the area resident’s majority of whom are farmers have had land tussles with the sugar company with both parties claiming ownership.
This led to a 12 year court battle between the locals and the sugar company resulting in residents losing their ancestral land in the hands of the investor on 13th January 2022.
While receiving a delegation of elders from Vidziyani at her office, Kwale County Boss Fatuma Achani and her Deputy Chirema Kombo assured the locals that the county government and the National government will find an amicable solution that will benefit both worrying parties.
“Vidziyani residents lost the case but where will they go?” She lamented.
At the moment the county government does not have government land in Ramisi because majority of the vast land is under sugar plantation owned by Kwale international sugar company Kiscol”. She said,
Achani has further called upon the area elected leaders to unite for a possible solution between the two parties.
She has volunteered to negotiate on behalf of people living in the disputed land to ensure they do not get evicted from the land.
Her sentiments were echoed by Abdallah Reje a representative of Vidziyani residents saying that despite losing the land through a Court process they are optimistic as locals that they can go to a negotiation table with the sugar company to at least release a portion of the land to the locals to enable them continue with their normal lives on the said parcel of land.
According to Reje they majorly depend on agriculture for survival with the company taking the whole parcel of land that has crippled them economically.
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