Keep off Sh11b case with Tata firm, governor cautions NLC
By Christine.Musa, February 27, 2023
The County Government of Kajiado has declined negotiations with the National Land Commission (NLC) over a dispute on land use and unpaid rates by Tata Chemicals, Magadi.
In a letter dated February 23, 2023, the NLC chairperson had sought an urgent meeting with county officials to address the soda ash firm’s concerns, but Governor Joseph ole Lenku (below) declined the meeting.
The firm is embroiled in wrangles with the county government over unpaid land rates to the tune of Sh11 billion. The outstanding payments date back to 2016 for the 179,374-acre land being used by Tata Chemicals.
An acre is charged an annual rate of Sh14,000. The county government has since declined to renew the lease tenure of the soda ash exporter.
“NLC has been approached by Tata Chemicals, Magadi, on a number of broad issues relating to various parcels of land they hold in the county, including matters of tenure and land rates”, reads part of the letter.
In the county’s reply, Lenku maintains that the matter was resolved by the High Court and NLC has no authority to intervene. “The land rates dispute was settled by the High Court in petition No2 of 2019. The court upheld our constitutional power to levy rates through the Kajiado Finance Act 2014 and the County Government Rating Act 2016, Lenku said.
The company is Africa largest soda ash manufacturer and exporter. It has hundreds of workers and controls the economies of villages in the area.