Kisumu elders defend Raila over molasses land dispute

Elders from Korando and Kogony clans in Kisumu county have defended former Prime Minister Raila Odinga over ongoing controversy surrounding the Kisumu Molasses Plant land.

This comes after some clan members threatened to block a Sh128 billion real estate project, dubbed LV Marina, spearheaded by GulfCap Real Estate.

Raila had donated five acres of the land to the government for the construction of affordable housing units.

The protesters claimed the land is ancestral and development is being carried out without proper community consultation. 

They termed the process illegal and threatened to resist it.

However this week, elders from the two clans dismissed those allegations, disowning individuals who had spoken against the project.

Robert Ogada, the organising secretary of the Kogony Land Council of Elders said they do not recognise the two people.

“As a community, we have unanimously agreed to distance ourselves from their statement,” he said.

Ogada said the land was acquired by the government in the late 1970s for the establishment of the molasses plant. 

He said the two clans voluntarily gave up the land and were compensated by the government.

“The government later auctioned the land and plant, and the family of the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga legally purchased it,” the elder said.

Ogada said the Korando and Kogony clans fully support the affordable housing project, noting it will create jobs and spur development.

He challenged critics to produce minutes or any formal documentation showing the clans' objection.

“At no point have we, as a community, demanded the return of the land,” he said.

Some of the original landowners said they were fairly compensated. 

Patricia Obure, one of the land donors, said together with her husband, they built two houses using the money.

Another former landowner Benedicto Odongo said he received money from the government as compensation.

 “ I used it to buy a new piece of land, where I settled and even secured a title deed,” he said.

Raila has on several occasions said his family acquired the Molasses Plant and the land legally and through a transparent process.