Residents of Mkoma Mmoja village in Kipini area, Tana River County present their petition to the National Assembly Departmental committee on Land led by Wajir Women Representative Fatuma Jehow over the controversial 13, 000 acre piece of land allegedly being grabbed by Kipini Conservancy on Friday ,21st November, 2025. Photo by Ben Okweingoti. 
By Ben Okweingoti
The National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Lands has launched urgent interventions to address escalating land disputes in the Kipini area of Tana River County, following allegations of a major attempt to grab ancestral land.
Residents of Mkoma Mmoja claim a local wildlife conservation body is illegally annexing more than 10,000 acres of community land, allegedly with the help of government officers.
The committee, led by Wajir Woman Representative Fatuma Jehow, held a tense meeting with residents who insisted the supposed land ownership claims by Kipini Wildlife Conservancy and Nairobi Ranch are fraudulent and injurious to their livelihoods.
Islam Abdala, a respected elder, told the committee that while Nairobi Ranch holds a legitimate title deed, it has unlawfully extended boundaries into human settlements.
“We have not refuted that Nairobi Ranch has a title deed, but that title does not extend into our ancestral land. Fake title deeds were processed, and when we demanded answers, the Tana River County Commissioner refused to show us the documents,” Abdala said.
He accused Kipini Wildlife Conservancy of destroying homes and displacing families under the guise of land ownership.
“In the 1970s, our fathers donated land to the conservancy, but now they are forcefully extending boundaries and pushing out our people. We urge our elected leaders to protect us from land grabbers working in collusion with state officers,” he added.
Youth representative Husna Abdul decried the impact of the dispute on young people, warning that continued displacement fuels poverty and social decay.
“The government should be protecting us. Young people are stressed, some turning to drug abuse because of hopelessness. We need our land back so we can build our own future,” she said.
Kipini East MCA Abubakar Athman called on the committee to intervene decisively, accusing powerful individuals of orchestrating land theft.
“In 2013, a well-connected land grabber erected beacons on 10,000 acres of our ancestral land and used force to evict residents. I urge the European Union and World Bank to stop funding projects at the Kipini Conservancy because what is happening is theft, not conservation,” Athman said.
Garsen MP Ali Wario and Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi assured residents that the committee is committed to addressing the grievances and correcting historical injustices.
“We support conservation, but this land grab frenzy has emerged because titanium deposits were discovered in the area. We caution government officers involved to stop and allow residents to decide their own future,” Wario said.
The committee is expected to present its findings and recommendations once investigations are concluded.
