KENYA AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH INSTITUTENational Animal Husbandry Research Centre; P. O. BOX 25 - 20117, NAIVASHA

TEL/FAX: + 254 (050) 50482; Email: karinaivasha@gmail.com

UPDATE ON THREATS TO KARI LANDS

AT NAIVASHA

KARI Naivasha, 3 rd February,

2011

STATUS OF KARI LANDS AT NAIVASHA AND IMMINENT THREATS AS AT START OF

FEBRUARY, 2011

A. INTRODUCTION

KARI Naivasha has a national mandate for livestock research in Kenya. It therefore addresses research aspects

related to feeds, feeding/nutrition, breeding/improvement and general management. The species and breeds

researched on include dairy cattle, dual purpose Sahiwal cattle and their crosses, dairy and dual purpose goats,

poultry (including improved indigenous types) and pigs. At the moment there are about 1300 cattle, 500 goats,

1500 chicken and 150 pigs. The centre is a source of technologies, knowledge and information for commercial and

sustainable animal production.

To achieve its objectives the centre has 120 permanent staff, 4,000 ha of land, and the prerequisite physical

infrastructure (residential houses, offices, laboratories, fences, roads, vehicles, water etc). The Centre has been

nominated for development to become the Regional Dairy Centre of Excellence and thus an important research hub

for Eastern and Central Africa under the auspices of the Eastern Africa Agricultural Productivity Project (EAAPP).

KARI Naivasha has been using these land since 1903, when it was set aside for research purposes. History records

show that the land initially belonged to the Maasai who relocated to Narok.

However, large tracts of research land at the centre have been allocated to private individuals without regard to the

strategic research needs of the country and the region at large. The grim scenario is that KARI stands to lose about

50% of the above land (2,000 ha) if not more unless urgent measures ate taken to arrest the situation and revert the

land to research.

Since late 2009, private individuals have been seriously interfering with the activities of the institute through

threats, settlement, destruction of vegetation and of government infrastructure (fences, water troughs, houses,

pipes etc), surveying, illegal grazing, and even threat to life and security at KARI Naivasha. The squatters

livestock are also indiscriminately breeding with research livestock thus jeopardizing the national breeding

programme. To say the least we have started the year on a rather bad note given all the threats. The institute has

been frustrated and feels helpless since for strange reasons, the government security apparatus have been unable or

unwilling to assist the institute.

Surpringly, another allotment letter was issued to the so Isahakia Self Help Group by the commissioner of lands

to one of the KARI land parcels , LR No. 5211 on 7 th December, 2011. The group invaded the centre from 24 th

January, 2011 and have been undertaking survey guarded by armed administration policemen and KWS

wardens. Both the group and the armed AP’s have been harassing KARI guards including at one time arresting

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them and locking them in police cells. On 2nd January, 2011, they chased away KARI guards and herdsmen from

parts of the and locked them out of two parcels while locking in some KARI livestock herds. The invaders placed

their own guards and their security was enforced by APs. The following day, 3rd January, 2011, a the KARI

livestock was driven out of the farm by at the invaders and a contingent of administration policemen under the

command of the local Chief.

These research needs are articulated in KARI’s Strategic Plan and EAAPP implementation framework. The

irregular land allocations are likely to lead to far reaching negative ramifications on research and inevitably place

the future of the livestock industry in Kenya and the region in jeopardy.

The Ndung’u Land Report has taken cognizance of some the centre’s irregularly allocated land. The report has

recommended that all irregularly allocated research land should be revoked. Similarly, the National Land Policy

legislated by Parliament in 2009 is categorical that all public land acquired irregularly will be repossessed. Details

of the land parcels at the centre including the irregularly allocated ones are given in part B.

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B. RESEARCH LAND AT KARI NAIVASHA CENTRE AND CURRENT STATUS

No FARM NAME

FARM LR NO

AREA IMPORTANCE CURRENT STATUS REMARKS

1. Lower Farm IR 87083 (original LR No. 427)

210.4 ha Main research farm for dairy, poultry, pigs, goats & Sahiwal cattle.

Title deed acquired in 2001 and no threat experienced so far.

O.k.

2. Ol Magogo Farm

IR 96016 (original LR Nos. 4358 & 3989/7)

1562.0 ha Sahiwal Cattle, Sheep & Goats research

Title deed acquired in 2004 and no threat experienced so far.

O.k.

3. Ol Magogo Farm

LR No. 3989/1

28 ha The most prime part of Ol Magogo Farm. Has farm office, stores, 5 residential houses and other installations

KARI evicted and parcel now occupied by a private individual.

Has seriously hampered research plans and capacity.

4. Top Farm LR No. 5210 544.0 ha Used for Sahiwal cattle and Sheep & Goats research. Jointly used by KARI and MoLD (Dairy Training Institute, Livestock Recording Centre and Sheep & Goats Project). Has over 150 residential houses, offices, college, farm installations and dairy factory

Private individuals have been coming and claiming the land.

Irregular allocations should be revoked and titles issued

5. Top Farm LR No. 5211 514.4 ha Used for Sahiwal cattle and Sheep & Goats research. Jointly used by KARI and MoLD (Dairy Training Institute and Sheep & Goats Project). Has over 50 residential houses, offices, primary school, government dispensary and other livestock installations.

Farm sub-divided. Private individuals have been coming and claiming the land. Some have title deeds.

Irregular allocations should be revoked and titles issued.

6. Karati Farm LR No. 5212 405.2 ha Best grazing land. Used for Sahiwal Cattle breeding, Sheep and Goats research.

KARI evicted in 1990s. Farm currently under intensive floriculture farming by private companies

Irregular allocations should be revoked and titles issued.

7. Quarantine Farm

LR No. 12248

400 ha Most prime of all KARI lands. Used for Lucerne studies, poultry and Sahiwal research.

KARI evicted in the late 1990s. All residential houses, offices and

Irregular allocations should be revoked and title issued.

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The National Quarantine Station for imported/exported breeding livestock.. Had over 15 residential houses, offices, dip, animal structures and stores.

other farm structures have been demolished and materials carried away.

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C. STATUS AS AT JANUARY, 2011

1. QUARANTINE FARM, LR NO. 12248

This land is officially 400 ha and has a large riparian and lake frontage. It is the most prime of all centre lands.

The land was irregularly allocated in late 1990’s and KARI forcefully evicted. Records from the Ministry of

Lands indicate that this farm has been sub-divided. Strangely, some documents from the Ministry of Lands

show that it was allocated in early 1980’s which is doubtful.

The farm is the hub for indigenous chicken breeding and Lucerne research. Quarantine is also a research farm

for Sahiwal cattle. The farm had therefore the necessary livestock infrastructure such as poultry houses,

offices, dips and residential houses and irrigation facilities. As the name implies, the farm had the prerequisite

structures for poultry breeding with all the necessary bio-safety requirements.

Besides, the farm served as the ONLY NATIONAL QUARANTINE STATION for breeding livestock

destined for export/import. At the moment, the country has no livestock quarantine facility as a result of this

irregular allocation. In fact, the recent 2007/8 outbreak of a poultry epidemic at Lower Farm can be attributed

to the loss of Quarantine Farm and removal of poultry to Lower Farm.

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Since the irregular allocation, all infra-structure has been demolished and building material carried away.

Private guards are currently stationed at the farm.

2. OL MAGOGO FARM,

(i) Ol Magogo, LR NO. 3989/7 and LR NO.4358

The first two parcels LR No. 3989/7 and LR No. 4358 have been surveyed, consolidated and a title deed

issued to KARI. The total farm area is 1562 ha. This land is used for research on Sahiwal cattle, sheep and

goats. Additionally, the farm use is shared with the Ministry of Livestock Development (Sheep and Goats

Project).

(ii) Ol Magogo, LR NO. 3989/1

The land measures 28 ha and is the most prime parcel of Ol Magogo Farm. The parcel has been irregularly

allocated to a private individual. KARI was evicted in 2004 and no access is allowed. The grabbed parcel

holds KARI’s farm office, farm store and 5 residential houses. However, due to eviction we cannot use

them.

3. LOWER FARM, LR No. 427 (Title Deed, Grant No. IR 87083)

This land measures 210.4 ha and has a huge riparian and lake frontage. Most of the research activities are

concentrated on this farm and it serves as the centre headquarters. Research the dairy cattle, pastures and

fodder, Sahiwals, pigs, dairy goats and the indigenous chicken are conducted at the on the farm. In addition,

the farm has important installations crucial to research. These include: feed mill/mixer, hatchery, nutrition

laboratory, milking machine, milk cooler and an irrigation system. KARI has a title to this land and no part

has been irregularly allocated.

4. TOP FARM, PARCELS LR NO. 5210 AND LR NO. 5211

(a) Top Farm, LR No. 5210

This land measures approximately 544 ha. This land is used for research on Sahiwal cattle, sheep and goats. The

land is jointly used by KARI and Ministry of Livestock Development departments (Sheep and Goats Project,

Dairy Training Institute and Livestock Recording Centre). The land holds dairy institute buildings, at least 150

hundreds residential houses and myriads of livestock farm structures and important installations such as

boreholes and milk processing plants. However, in the recent past several private developers have come

claiming this land and we have had a difficult time to wand them off.

Last year, on 26-3-2010, some 36 persons came to one corner of this parcel along with 250 sheep/goats and 40

cattle. They claimed that the said land parcel is their ancestral land and yet they had no single document to prove

their assertion. The said persons quickly put up make ship-shift structures as shelters. Efforts to talk to these

people to leave the premises on a voluntary basis bore no fruit and when ordered by our centre security to vacate,

they resisted, to the extent of turning violent. The persons consisted of 7 male adults, 9 female adults and 20

children with their 290 livestock heads. On 30-3-2010, we wrote to the Naivasha provincial administration and the

police requesting for assistance to move these persons and their livestock out but despite promises to evict the

illegal settlers, no action has been taken to date. This threat was communicated to the Director KARI on 14-4-

2010 vide letter ref. NAIV/KARI/3/1/1 Vol. 6/136. The squatters were brought in a so called ISAHAKIA Self-

Help Group who are laying claim on all KARI parcels of land at Top Farm (LR Nos 5210 and 5211) and Karati

Farm (LR Nos 5212) asserting that these are their ancestral lands. It is curious to note that this group consists of

Kenyans of Somali ethnic community.

On 27th May, 2010, another two individuals, Pritam Panesar and Igal Elfezouty through Raffman Dhanji Elms and

Virdee advocates wrote to Managing Director, Rift Valley Water Services Board (RVWSB), for compensation for

part of LR No. 5210 that KARI had leased to the RVWSB. But note that they claim that the piece in question is

LR NO. 425/21 and not LR No 5210 which is not the case. It is interesting to note that as early as 2003, Igal

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Elfezouty, Managing Director Panda Flowers had written to Director KARI in a letter dated 21-1-2003 requesting

that they lease out the same land, LR No. 5210 from KARI. In the same letter, Mr Igal had admitted that his

company is in occupation of LR No 5212 and that they were using it for Floriculture.

By the end of 2010, the number of squatters settled on LR No. 5210 had increased and the livestock herd sizes

they are keeping on the government farm nearly tripled. The squatters livestock are also indiscriminately

breeding with research livestock thus jeopardizing the national breeding programme. Strangely, the provincial

administration and other security arms of the government are unable or unwilling to help KARI to get the

squatters out and indeed seem to side with the illegal settlers (squatters). The destruction of vegetation and farm

structures (fences, pipes, water, houses etc ) where they have settled is immense.

On 24th January, 2011, a group calling itself the Isahakia Self Help Group brought in Surveys at about 10 am to

demarcate LR No. 5210 and LR N0. 5211. They were repulsed by the KARI security guards. However, the same

people came back on 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th January, 2011 in a convoy of three vehicles with armed KWS

wardens in tow to do the land surveying. On 29th and 30th January, 2011, they reinforced their security by bring

in at least 3 armed Administration Policemen (AP’s) as well as the local Chief. Although, the KARI and DTI

managers combined security tried to intervene, they have been helpless since the demarcating surveyors were

guarded by the said armed KWS wardens and AP’s. This status has continued to date i.e. 1-2-2011 and 2-2-2-11.

Indeed, during the two days, KARI guards were harassed, some arrested and locked in police cells. The main gate

to parts of LR No. 5211 were locked from outside by the grabbers, denying access to KARI staff to do their

routine work.

Surpringly, another allotment letter was issued to the so Isahakia Self Help Group by the commissioner of lands

to one of the KARI land parcels , LR No. 5211 on 7 th December, 2011. The group invaded the centre from 24 th

January, 2011 and have been undertaking survey guarded by armed administration policemen and KWS

wardens. Both the group and the armed AP’s have been harassing KARI guards including at one time arresting

them and locking them in police cells. On 2nd January, 2011, they chased away KARI guards and herdsmen from

parts of the and locked them out of two parcels while locking in some KARI livestock herds. The invaders placed

their own guards and their security was enforced by APs. The following day, 3rd January, 2011, a the KARI

livestock was driven out of the farm by at the invaders and a contingent of administration policemen under the

command of the local Chief.

(b) Top Farm, LR No. 5211

The land size for this parcel is 514.4 ha. Again, the land is jointly used by KARI, and the Ministry of Livestock

Development, two departments (Sheep and Goats Project and Dairy Training Institute). This land is used for

research on Sahiwal cattle, sheep and goats. The farm has over 50 staff houses, a public primary school and a

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government dispensary. The farm also has crucial livestock infrastructures such as livestock houses, stores,

night bomas, dips, and crushes. Records at both the Survey of Kenya and Ministry of Lands show that most of

this land has been subdivided into at least 14 parcels and allocated to several private developers. Over the years,

especially in the recent past, we have struggled to wand off these private developers as they attempt to cultivate,

build or fence off the parcels they claim.

KARI has leased part of this farm to a subsidiary of Homegrown Ltd, a horticultural firm.

On 30-4-2010, Homegrown surrendered the leased part of LR No 5211 back to KARI. However, during the hand-

over process, several members of the ISAHAKIA Self-Help Group appeared and almost disrupted the process.

Again they were laying claim on the leased parcel and they wanted to forcefully move in. However, they were

prevented by the centre security. On Labour Day, 1-5-2010, an even bigger group of ISAHAKIA Self-Help came

to invade the farm. However, the group was warded off from this parcel by KARI security.

Note that the part initially leased to Homegrown Ltd has been ear-marked to be a proto-type research and

demonstration farm for the Dairy Centre of Excellence (DoCE) under the auspices of the Eastern Africa

Agricultural Productivity Project (EAAPP).

5. KARATI FARM LR NO. 5212

This land measures about 400.64 ha. It is the most prime of all the grazing lands. This land is used for research on

Sahiwal cattle, sheep and goats. The whole parcel has been irregularly allocated, sub-divided and almost 50

different titles have been issued to private individuals. KARI was evicted in the 1990s, the farm fenced off such

that KARI has no access. Most of the farm is under intensive floriculture cultivation and is covered by hundreds

of greenhouses.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Assist KARI Naivasha on Security. At the moment the lives of the staff is threatened on more security

guards are urgently required.

2. Put a court injunction to stop any construction, interference and settlement on all the irregularly

allocated research lands.

3. Place a caveat emptor on all the irregularly allocated lands stating that it is government research land and

that no one should purport to own it or has a right to sell or place any development thereon.

4. Report all irregular allocations of strategic research land to KACC, Parliamentary Committee on

Agriculture, Kenya Land Alliance, Operation Firimbi, etc.

5. Revoke all irregular allocations and repossess the lands and acquire title deeds for KARI.

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