TRUSTING A HYENA TO TAKE CARE OF SHEEP?

Basil Criticos took a loan from Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) using his swathes of land in Taita Taveta as collateral. When he failed to service the loan, AFC was forced to take over a portion of the said land. In 2007 the government bought part of the Criticos land (which then was under AFC) through settlement Transfer funds: 24,000 acres under Jipe Settlement Scheme to resettle squatters, 15,000 acres under Taveta Settlement scheme for the same purposes. From the foregoing, a total of 39,000 acres of the parcel were hived off through this sale to the government. In February 2017, AFC announced that it would sell a further 7200 acres of Criticos land to recover its money. The government moved in to acquire the land to further settle squatters in the area as an addition to the 39,000 acres acquired in 2007. As a result, the government issued 148 title deeds to squatters on the 7200 acres AFC land in January 2018. It was during this period of squatter resettlement that William Ruto (christened Arap Mashamba on account of his huge appetite for land) acquired his initial 1000 acres Kisima Farm which was part of the 7200 acres AFC land handed over to government for resettlement of squatters. From documents available, it is clear that William Ruto did not acquire the land from Criticos as he belatedly claimes. The transfer of initial 1000 acres land was from AFC. He further acquired 1536 more acres from the remainder of Criticos land, through unclear circumstances. Two days ago,William Ruto promised the people of the four Coastal Counties (Mombasa, Kwale, and Lamu Kilifi that he will buy large swathes of land to settle the landless. However, the people have been very fast to realize that this is yet another scheme by William Ruto to accumulate more land for himself, by forcing them to sell their ”idle” land at a throw away price (compulsory acquisitions). They reasoned "If William Ruto has benefited from land meant for squatters as a sitting Deputy President, how much more would he take advantage of, if he was to become president"? With the cases of Langata primary land, Muteshi land, ADC mutaara land, Ruai sewerage land, Taita Taveta Criticos land, Weston land Dolphin hotel land and Masaai Mara land still fresh in the people's mind, can they trust a hyena to take care of the affairs of the sheep? The jury is out there. *Edited, originally by Pauline Njoroge.*