The Senate Committee on Lands, Environment, and Natural Resources has instructed the National Land Commission (NLC) to issue a final ruling on the long-standing Mwabundusi land squatters’ petition by the end of September 2025.

The directive was issued during a session held on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, at the Bunge Tower, where committee members met NLC officials to interrogate the delay in resolving the dispute that has kept the Mwabundusi squatters in limbo for years.

Chaired by Mombasa Senator Mohammed Faki, the committee heard submissions on the petition filed by members of the Mwanyabaro clan. The petitioners are seeking either compensation or resettlement, claiming that their ancestral land was unjustly taken and is now being occupied by multiple government institutions and private entities.

Appearing before the committee, James Tuitoek, who represented the NLC, confirmed that the land in question has attracted interest from a wide range of public agencies. These include the Kenya Institute of Highways and Building Technology (KIHBT), the National Youth Service (NYS), the Veterinary Department, Kisii Bottlers, and the Kisii Cancer Centre.

Tuitoek explained that, “On July 17, 2017, through Kenya Gazette Notice No. 6862, the Commission reviewed the grant and disposition of the parcel and determined that the land is designated for public utility use.”

Following this review, the Commission recommended revoking titles LR-16757, LR-16758, and LR-17666, which were registered under Tegemea Oil Company, Geoffrey Asanyo, and Jared Kangwana. According to Prof. Tuitoek, the NLC recommended that the land revert to the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO).

However, he clarified that titles held by Kisii Bottlers and the Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation (ICDC), an institution in which the government holds a majority stake, were maintained.

The committee was also briefed on a Historical Land Injustices (HLI) claim filed by the Mwanyabaro clan on October 7, 2019, under reference number NLC/HLI/608/2019. The claim, which forms the basis of the squatters’ petition, seeks redress for what the community says was the illegal acquisition of their ancestral land.

Respondents in the case include the Attorney General, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, the Ministry of Lands, the Kisii County Government, and KALRO.

“A public hearing on the claim was held on June 24, 2024, at the Mama Grace Onyango Cultural and Social Centre in Kisumu,” Tuitoek told the committee.

He noted that all relevant parties were given 14 days to submit written responses following the session.

He further assured the Senate that “The Commission will issue its determination upon completion of the Historical Land Injustices process.”

In a firm response, Senator Faki urged the NLC to hasten the process, warning that delays in land justice were contributing to frustration and mistrust among affected communities.

The committee gave the NLC until the end of September 2025 to finalise investigations and issue a conclusive determination. Faki noted that this would help deliver timely justice and provide affected families with much-needed clarity about the future of the land.