Mombasa tycoon Mohammed Jaffer of Grain Bulk Investment is said to be behind the grabbing of Hippo Point land which is currently embroiled in a controversy.
This comes in the wake of Kisumu county government under its Tourism, Culture and Sports ministry allocating Sh5 million for its fencing yet it belongs to a private entity.
James Orengo then as minister of Lands issued to Municipal Council of Kisumu the certificate but a lease was given to Jaffer of Grain Bulk Holdings who has high links in political circles.
The county residents are now wondering why the County Government has allocated all that much piece of land towards development of Hippo Point which is a private property to be used for fencing, building a viewing point, erecting a jetty and constructing a swimming pool.
“This beach has long been grabbed and sold to Grain Bulk at a consideration of Sh100 million”, a source said.
Our investigations revealed that the grabbing process began in July 2011 when councillors were then rounded up from their wards all over the city to attend toan urgent Full Council meeting to ratify the fraudulent grabbing of Hippo Point by the an investor called Nam Lolwe Investment Ltd. No councillor was allowed to query the purpose and speed of this transfer.
The resolution was used to affect a “75 years sublease” transfer on 1st August 2011 to the said Nam Lolwe Investment Ltd and the title issued to the company.
The company has since transferred the fraudulently acquired interest to Grain Bulk at a consideration of Sh 100
million.
“I’m not opposed to private investments around Lake Victoria.
We badly need such, however, my problem is the outright theft of the few remaining public utility beaches under the guise of development,” he said.
Hippo Point is a commonwealth of the people of Kisumu. However, fear is, when a private developer puts up a hotel there, the ordinary resident of Nyalenda, Obunga, Manyatta, Nyamasaria, Bandani will have no access to the beach front. A good example of such conversion can be seen in the beach fronts occupied the Yacht Club, Nyanza Golf Club etc.
As things stand, county government Anyang Nyong’o of Kisumu will not be allowed to conduct its affairs freely.
So many pieces of land have been grabbed and a number are earmarked for grabbing yet.
Just a few months ago, the governor was forced to swallow his own vomit by disow ning a public notice demanding
payment of rate arrears from defaulters, the highest being the from the late Jaramogi Odinga Oginga family.
The issue was not the rates rather but it was that the records of massive fraudulent acquisition of public land by the Odingas that had been exposed to the public for the first time.
County Government if it has genuine intentions, it should first be courageous enough to demand that National Land Commission revokes the sub lease title to Nam Lolwe Investment and any subsequent transfers before it sinks public money into the scandal, otherwise it shall be treated as an active conspirator.
