Tension high as grabber eyes Taveta shrine – Weekly Citizen

Tension is high among residents of Lake Challa located on the border of Kenya and Tanzania in Taita-Taveta county. The lake has deep cultural and religious significance on locals who say if interfered with can lead to serious curse inflictions. Whenever calamities such as disease, epidemics, drought and deaths visited the community, special elders from the Umba sub-clan of the Mnene clan would sacrifice black heifers by lowering the animal into the choppy waters. The offering would according to them propitiate unhappy gods leading to communal pardon. And now, an unidentified private developer has laid claim on over 1,000 acres of land adjacent to Lake Challa.

John Mruttu

The community donated this land for conservation activities. The land under privatisation threat is reserved under Challa Conservation Area. It was set aside for members of the public around 2013 to allow the locals easy access to the scenic lake. The erection of beacons by the investor was largely seen as the first step to block the local community from gaining access from the lake on the Kenyan side. Julius Meshuri the chair of Challa Beach Management Unit wants the grabber to leave. The identity of the mysterious buyer who is eyeing their traditional shrine has not yielded fruits. However, county officials have vowed to fight all attempts to privatise the land. It is suspected the buyer had blessings during the era of John Mruttu as governor.

Mwandawiro Mghanga

Mruttu is an ally of William Ruto who has also bought a ranch in the county. The county executive committee member for lands is Mwandawiro Mghanga. Governor Granton Samboja is concerned with the happenings and is now fighting back. T h e community had agreed to have the land held in trust for the locals by the county government. It is feared, the individuals behind the grabbing are well-connected and have deep pockets. In its budget, the county had allocated Sh2 million to fishermen in Lake Chala to promote crab rearing and cage fishing. Taveta Council of Elders has held meetings to discuss the matter with many swearing not to allow the shrine to go into private hands. Their complaints have been forwarded to the government.