Kiambu County Government is in the process of acquiring some 670 acres that were released to the County by multinational juice processor, Del-Monte Company, during the renewal of their lease agreement.
Governor James Nyoro, said working closely with the National Lands Commission (NLC), the verification exercise of the land has been done and the County is only waiting to be issued with the title deed.
He added that once the parcel of land is acquired legally own, the County will then conduct a public participation exercise, to determine how well to put it into use.
“Our plan is to establish an airstrip so as to tap into the opportunity created when Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is busy. Our proximity to Nairobi city would give us an edge, “said Nyoro, while issuing title deeds, yesterday.
He said the County also intend to establish special economic zones to attract major investors to boost revenue and accelerate development in Thika town.
“This will help in the county’s quest in making Thika town the fifth city in the country,” he said.
Del-Monte Company has over 7,000 acres of idle land in Kiambu and Murang’a County. Overall, it holds over 22,000 acres in the two counties.
The two county governments had opposed the renewal of the company’s lease agreement after it expired for another 99 years, unless the Company surrenders thousands of acres of unused land to them.
The Kandara Residents Association in Murang’a had also filed petitions to have the Company give out some parcels of the company’s unused land to have them resettled, saying the land previously belonged to their forefathers.
