Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome has announced that the government is acquiring 11,000 acres of land in Naivasha to settle squatters around the Rift Valley.

During a workshop to review the national land policy at a hotel in Nakuru, Alice Wahome stated that they had received approval from the cabinet to purchase the parcel, with 5,000 being used for Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and the remaining 6,000 being used to address the squatter crisis.

PHOTO | COURTESY Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome

“We are in the advanced stages of acquiring the land and the payment will be done in three years which will be provided for by the government, so we believe we will fully address the squatter problem around the area,” she said.

PHOTO | COURTESY Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome

Wahome stated that the settlers would be chosen methodically, with extensive vetting to prevent joyriders from abusing the program for personal benefit.

Squatters from Ndabibi in Naivasha have recently clashed with the authorities over land ownership, protesting threats to expel them from the property they have been living on for several years.