No end in sight to Taita Taveta's Kishushe ranch troubles

Wrangles pitting the Kishushe Ranching Cooperative Society board of management against some members are threatening to derail projects on the ranch.

Some members of the Taita Taveta society say the board is mismanaging the property and should be disbanded.

They claim that ranch resources are being used for personal gain, no annual general meeting (AGM) has been held and parts of the ranch were leased without the consent of shareholders.

The 60,000-acre ranch generates millions of shillings annually from Samruddha Resources Kenya Ltd, which mines iron ore in the area.

The board has also invested in orange farming and rearing livestock.

But the board says it is unable to meet the costs of the projects due to a lack of funds caused by the wrangling.

A special meeting scheduled for last Friday by a splinter group was cancelled at the last minute on the urging of the commissioner for cooperatives.

Some of the members, led by former ranch chairperson Benedict Mwabili, were also summoned by detectives for questioning over allegations of incitement.

Mr Mwabili said police asked them to record statements on the matter.

"The commissioner for cooperatives asked us to cancel the meeting but promised to intervene to resolve our concerns. He said he will get back to us to tell us when we will hold our meeting," he said.

He said police were intimidating them because of their stand on the current leadership of the ranch.

Mr Mwabili accused the board, which has been at the helm for seven years, of taking crucial decisions without informing the 710 shareholders.

He said some of the decisions had hurt shareholders financially.

"They have used funds without our consent and invited people to graze inside the ranch without informing us. This is unlawful," he said.

But board chairperson Alui Mbela said he was ready to quit to pave the way for fresh leadership.

He said he had already tendered his resignation to the county cooperative office but it was declined by board members.

"The board declined to approve my resignation but I am ready to move out. I have done my best to protect the interests of the ranch but some people are baying for my blood for their selfish gains," he said.

He said he was being persecuted for his efforts to push Samruddha Resources to pay the ranch its agreed monthly rates. He revealed that the company owes the ranch over Sh45 million.

The company, he claimed, had refused to pay the money but was being protected by some members of the ranch.

"Some of those who are pushing me to go are employees of this company. The company owes us millions of shillings which the directors have refused to pay. Where will we get money to pay ranch workers?" he said.

The board, he said, resolved to lease a part of the land to Governor Granton Samboja and Mr Issak Maalim to graze their livestock so as to earn money to pay workers and for day-to-day operations of the ranch.

The governor and Mr Maalim have petitioned courts after some members threatened to evict them.
Mr Alui added that if members were not comfortable with his leadership, they should follow due process.
County Cooperative Officer Erastus Gonzi distanced himself from the conflict.

He said the government had suspended all ranch meetings due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Gonzi said he was not informed about last Friday's meeting and urged the aggrieved members to follow proper procedure to resolve their conflicts.

"I have not received any complaints from any member. However, I will meet with the board to schedule an AGM as soon as possible," he said.

The last AGM held in 2019 was unsuccessful because other issues had emerged from members, thereby forcing the agenda to be postponed to the next sitting.

"We concluded the meeting late in the evening and agreed to forward the agenda to the next AGM. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic came, so we could not hold the meeting as we had planned," he said.

Mr Gonzi said the annual meeting will resolve the disputes that have rocked the ranch.

"I know the board has not refused to hold the AGM. It is the restrictions put in place by the government that is preventing them from doing so," he said.

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