The National Land Commission Chairman has assured Kanyakwar residents that they will get their land which was grabbed and subdivided before being sold out to investors.
Mohammed Swazuri, who spoke in Kisumu during the swearing in of County Lands Board members on Tuesday said his office would ensure justice to the families who lost their land situated along the Kisumu-Kakamega Road.
Swazuri who visited the area after the swearing in of the seven Board members said he is aware of the land grabbing cases in the area and has been working on having the legitimate land owners get their land back.
The Kanyakwar community members have been engaged in a land tussle with developers in the area for the last ten years, but they have been overpowered by the moneyed investors who have continued to develop the area.
“The commission does not recognise small, medium or big fish. Those who possess what is not legally theirs will have to surrender,” he said.
The chairman also warned grabbers who have acquired parcels of riparian areas along Lake Victoria to vacate, adding that the law protects up to 60 metres high water mark.
“We want to start with areas under tussles which include public institutions like schools, churches and hospitals, and community land,” he said.
He added: “For riparian, areas we are happy that nature has helped us. The ongoing swelling of water bodies has seen a lot of structures in riparian areas submerged and people have started understanding why we have to avoid encroaching into wetlands.”