According to the residents, the Environment and Land Court had directed the government to compensate and relocate genuine squatters to pave the way for a sugarcane plantation.
The government had earlier leased 42,000 acres of land to the Kwale International Sugar Company, now known as Ramisi Sugar Company, for commercial-scale sugarcane farming.
The resettlement of squatters was planned in three phases: Kwale/Ramisi Phase I, II, and III.
While Phases II and III were successfully implemented, Phase I which includes six villages; Mkono Wa Ndugu, Kanana Centre, Kidimu, Kiranze, Nguzo and Nikaphu remains incomplete, according to the Mkupuo Network Awareness coordinator Mohamed Chiriauta.
The six villages are approximately 4, 737 acres.
Chiriauta said the affected families are now urging the government to honor the court directive and facilitate their compensation and relocation, arguing that two years have passed since the directive was issued.
“We are pleading with the government to kindly honor the court order so that we can be paid and rebuild our lives,” he said.
Chiriauta said the residents are currently stranded and unable to undertake any development since they are living on land that is not legally theirs.
He added that the situation has worsened their suffering, as they rely on farming for their livelihood and survival.
The coordinator added that the families also face the risk of attacks from deadly snakes and frequent wildfires that often break out in the sugarcane plantation.
He urged the new government to ensure that the affected families are compensated before the end of this month.
Chiriauta added that life has been extremely difficult for them, as many of their livelihood activities have been disrupted, leaving them with nothing to celebrate.
Fauzia Kasim urged the government to also conduct a valuation for the remaining four villages, emphasizing that all affected residents should be compensated and relocated as per the court’s directive.
She stressed that they want to be resettled as soon as possible so they can rebuild their lives.
She said their crops were uprooted during the land clearance for the sugarcane plantation, which has contributed to widespread poverty among the affected families.
Kasim added that before the displacement, they used to sell surplus food from their farms and earn a living, but now they have no means of sustaining themselves.
Kasim added that they no longer want to live like squatters and are demanding their rightful compensation and relocation.
Another resident, Bakari Khalfan, urged the government to treat their demand with utmost urgency.
He said their lives have become unbearable, as they are forced to live in a place where they do not truly belong.
Khalfan said that many of them have children and families who depend on farming for survival.
He said without immediate land allocation and compensation, he warned, they might struggle to fend for their families and educate their children.
Khalfan has expressed deep concern over the soaring cost of living, warning that without access to land for farming, many families risk sinking into poverty and malnutrition.
He noted that staple food prices have skyrocketed, making it increasingly difficult for low-income households to afford daily meals.
He said that since they are jobless, many locals traditionally relied on small-scale farming to supplement their diets and income.
However he said without farmland, locals are forced to depend entirely on market purchases, which have become unsustainable due to inflation.
Khalfan urged both President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga to ensure the court order is honored so that locals can have decent lives.
