The National Assembly of Kenya has launched a formal inquiry into longstanding contradictions surrounding the ownership of a prime industrial parcel linked to Miwani Sugar Company Limited.
The probe seeks to unravel inconsistencies in court rulings and apparent gaps in government oversight that have left the ownership of the land in limbo for more than a decade.
The National Assembly Committee on Lands, chaired by Hon. Joash Nyamoko, on Tuesday convened senior government officials to examine competing claims over the disputed parcel. Those in attendance included representatives from the National Land Commission, the Kenya Sugar Board, the Office of the Solicitor General, and the Agriculture Principal Secretary.
At the centre of dispute is a strategic parcel historically associated with Miwani Sugar Company. Crossly Limited maintains ownership based on a 2008 public auction. However, the Agriculture Principal Secretary, Jonathan Mueke Ronoh, told MPs that the land belongs to the Government of Kenya- a position that directly contradicts Crossly’s claim.
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Ronoh was responding to Petition No. 28 of 2025 concerning Land Reference No. 7543/3 (IR 21038), the site of Miwani Sugar Mills Limited’s nucleus estate.
“The government alienated the land for the purpose of establishing a nucleus estate for Miwani Sugar Mills, as succeeded by Miwani Sugar Company (1989) Limited (In Receivership),” he said.
He further outlined the company’s financial troubles in the 1980s, noting that it was placed under receivership by lenders Chase Manhattan Bank and Somen Sokeri.
Lawmakers heard that despite the 2008 auction, no proceeds were ever remitted to the government, raising serious questions about the legitimacy of the transaction. MPs questioned how such a sale could occur without payment reaching the purported owner.
The matter is further complicated by conflicting judicial decisions. While the Court of Appeal of Kenya later nullified the auction, an earlier High Court ruling had upheld Crossly Limited’s claim, creating a legal contradiction that has yet to be resolved.
Following the High Court decision, the Agriculture Ministry sought guidance from the Office of the Attorney General, which advised facilitating the transfer of the land to Crossly- recommendations now under scrutiny by Parliament.
Committee members described the situation as deeply troubling, citing inconsistent rulings, missing auction proceeds, and fragmented action across government agencies. They pressed the National Land Commission to explain its role in safeguarding public land and whether due diligence had been conducted.
“There must be a unified government position,”Nyamoko said, criticising the lack of coordination among state institutions.
NLC CEO Kabale Tache briefed MPs on the land’s classification and history. Petitioners argue that the land was originally community land before being alienated for the sugar project.
“The petitioners contend that the land was originally alienated from land occupied by local communities for the purpose of establishing a nucleus estate,”she said.
Tache added that the land was initially classified as private and owned by Miwani Sugar Mills Limited, but noted that its current ownership status can only be confirmed by the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning.
The Committee directed the regulator to submit a detailed report on how the dispute has affected the company’s operations and governance.
The inquiry is set to continue, with MPs vowing to pursue a clear and legally consistent resolution aligned with the Court of Appeal’s ruling and the government’s claim of ownership.
