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The Nation (Nairobi)
September 5, 2008
News Article By Wilfred Muchire
A Nyeri family embroiled in a multi-million-shilling land tussle with the Government will be paid next month.
The Wambugu Mathangani family will get Sh145.5 million, states a letter signed by Agriculture permanent secretary Romano Kiome.
On Tuesday, three family members visited the ministry's headquarters and met Dr Kiome over the delayed payment.
The family had last month put the Government on notice over the 134-acre farm that the ministry has used for the past 50 years.
They threatened to eject Government personnel from the prime land if the money for the farm's purchase was not paid by the end of the month. The land, commonly known as Wambugu Farm, is on the outskirts of Nyeri Town.
It is where Mt Kenya region demonstration farms for the Ministry of Agriculture are located. Also situated at the farm are the region's meteorological station and the Ministry of Energy's department of renewable energy offices.
Others who operate from the farm are the Dairy Goat Association of Kenya, the Kenya Agriculture Research Institute and the Kenya Forestry Research Institute.
In the letter addressed to Mr Asaph Wachira, Dr Kiome said the ministry had already deposited a total of Sh118.8 million with the Ministry of Lands, which would be forwarded to the family once all transactions are completed.
"We expect to process and deposit the balance of Sh26/7 million by end of October 2008. The Commissioner of Lands will subsequently pay Wambugu family the total valuation of Sh145,595,750," the letter dated September 2 reads in part.
Agreement
In 1956, Mr Mathangani's family offered about 200 acres of his more than 3,500 acres to Nyeri local authority as a demonstration farm for the region.
Mr Mathangani, who died in 1959, was a chief in charge of Mukaro Location, which currently forms most of Nyeri Town constituency.
An agreement between the former chief and the council stated that the land would be returned to the family after expiry of 50 years.
When the lease expired in 2006, the Government approached the family with intentions to buy the land.
