Lamu Governor Fahim Twaha together with other elected leaders from Lamu County on Thursday walked out of a leadership consultative meeting on land acquisition for the multi billion Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) corridor project headed by Petroleum Principal Secretary Andrew Kamau.
The leaders expressed disappointed following the response of representative from the Muhamad Swazuri-led National Lands Commission in handing over 70,000 acres of land to LAPSSET without consultations with local leaders in the County.
"You can’t take a whole 70,000 acres of Lamu land without even compensating the owners. Very few people were compensated and we won’t allow any land to go just like that. We will stand with our people and ensure they get justice," Twaha warned.
During the meeting at Majlis Hotel on Thursday, Governor Twaha said they will not allow a mistake similar to the Kililana compensation be repeated.
According to the governor, NLC allocated huge tracts of Lamu land to the Lapsset Corridor Development Authority in Kililana without compensating those who were settled there.
He said the community in Lamu needs an amicable solution to the land problems in the County and NLC should not be the cause of future land tussles.
"We are tired of being taken in circles. People sit in Nairobi and make decisions concerning Lamu lands thinking that we are asleep. They should know that this is our land and if they are to take those lands, due procedure must be followed," he told the press after storming out of the meeting.
MPs Athman Sharif (Lamu East), Lamu Woman Rep Ruweida Obbo and their Lamu West counterpart Stanley Muthama who were also present during the meeting, stood by what the governor said.
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