Former Baringo Senator Gideon Moi has been summoned by Parliament to give more details on the status of a piece of land valued at KSh1.08 billion.[โฆ]CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLEโถ
The former Senator, alongside several other board members is also expected to give an update on the status of 5,000 acres of land belonging to Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology.
Moi, alongside other board members are holding in trust for the technical institute and it is understood that Moi and the board of trustees manage two parcels in question – a 200 acre piece which the Institute sits on and a further 5000 acres.
The former lawmaker is under scrutiny from Members of the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education, which is against land belonging to a public institution being held in trust by private entities.
Land in which the college sits on was bought in 1972 courtesy of funds raised by the local community. The money was raised through a fundraiser, the committee heard.
After the acquisition of the land in 1972, a board of trustees was appointed to manage the land on behalf of the community, but Gideon Moi and his team are yet to hand over the 5000 acres to the college to date.
An audit report from the financial year ending June 2020 noted missing title deeds from the institution as well as essential information like acquisition dates, costs, and asset locations. This prompted the committee to make an inquiry into the 200 acres of land.
While responding to audit queries raised by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu, the Institute’s principal Sammy Chemoiwa says only 200 acres can be accounted for since that is where Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology was established.
โThe Board of Trustees have assigned the institute to operate within 200 acres, โ Chemoiwa, who was at pains of explaining himself to the committee, said. According to him, there were no title deeds for the land.
He added: โYes, it is true that we do not own the titles of the land. However, my honest opinion is that if all the land were to be given back to the institution, I would prefer it to be managed by someone else because even if I manage it, its sustainability is not possible.โ
Further, Committee chairman, Bumula MP Wanami Wamboka accused Moi and his trustees of unlawfully holding onto the land, as per TVETS Act 2014 which states that “No person or institution shall offer training in Kenya unless the person or institution has been accredited, licensed and registered under this Act to offer such training.”
A visit to the lands in question has been scheduled for next month, with the committee keen on determining the real owners of the two parcelsโฆCLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES>>>
