Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) is set to conduct a physical inspection of the Njeru Government Stock Farm after an audit revealed that the National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank (NAGRC&DB) controls only 10 of the facility’s 367 acres.
The Auditor General found that the remaining 357 acres had been substantially affected by encroachment, with former cattle paddocks reportedly converted into farmland and sections of the government land graded for other developments.
The findings have raised questions about how a government livestock facility could lose control of a significant portion of land allocated to it.
The COSASE committee is travelling to Njeru to establish the extent of the encroachment, determine how the land was lost from government control and assess the status of government property on the farm.
The audit also revealed a contradiction in NAGRC&DB’s efforts to recover the land.
The agency obtained a High Court order cancelling titles that had been created over the Njeru Government Stock Farm. However, the Auditor General found that the order had not been enforced by the time of the audit.
Despite securing the court order, NAGRC&DB remained in control of only 10 acres of the 367-acre farm.
During the physical inspection, the committee is expected to verify the Auditor General’s findings and establish whether the land has been illegally occupied, how the encroachment occurred and what action was taken by the responsible government agencies.
The MPs will also assess reports of government property being destroyed on the farm and seek to establish who may be responsible for the loss or destruction.
The inspection is expected to guide COSASE’s recommendations on the recovery and protection of the government land and property and determine what measures are needed to prevent further encroachment.
The committee’s findings could also shed light on the effectiveness of government efforts to enforce court orders and safeguard public land from illegal occupation.
