SIAYA, Kenya, Mar 8 — The Yala swamp community in Siaya is complaining of intimidation by powerful forces who are demanding that it withdraws a case it has filed in the land and environment court seeking to have the vast wetland registered as a community land.
The residents who spoke to the media at Gendro said several locals, including local administrators have received threats of dire consequences should they not accept the offer.
Led by community leaders Patrick Owino Ogutu and Benard Ogeya Mugele they questioned the decision by elected leaders representing communities around the swamp to keep quiet over the issue, maintaining that they will not allow their ancestral land to be grabbed.
They said that an elected member of parliament whose constituency hosts a vast part of the swamp has joined forces with the powers that be and has threatened a member of county assembly that he risks losing party sponsorship for the next general elections over his defiance to have the case dropped.
“Our elected leaders, especially the members of the Siaya county assembly within the catchment area must come out and join us in this war and not leave it to one person,” said Ogutu.
Mugele said the community was not against the investors in the swamp but was demanding their constitutional right to have the lands previously registered as trust land to be turned into community lands.
Mugele, alias Shutua bin Shutua said they were reading ill motives in the whole saga as several emissaries have been sent while the matter was under litigation.
Last year, two members of the community filed a petition under certificate of urgency to stop the allocation of the swamp to a private developer and demanded that the wetland be registered as community land.
The case is still pending before the lands and environment court.
