Deputy President William Ruto has made headlines in the recent past over his remarks regarding a piece in Taita Taveta County.
Recently, the DP was put on the spot over his 2,536-acre Mata farm forcing him to explain how he acquired the pieces of land.
Speaking during a Kenya Kwanza Economic Forum within the county, DP Ruto said he acquired the farm after helping former Taveta MP Basil Criticos to clear a loan he owed the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC).
“I am also a Mata elder because I helped the former MP to settle his loan at AFC and he gave me a portion of land,” he said.
The farm which borders the Criticos Ranch and Lake Jipe has been at the center of controversy a number of times.
For instance, in 2020, the Taita Taveta County Government accused DP Ruto of diverting water meant for locals to his farm.
The move forced the County Government to move to court seeking orders to access the farm.
A year earlier, in 2018, the farm manager Arie Dempers was arrested after storming a Mosque with a gun, disrupting the morning prayers.
At the same time, DP Ruto has promised to return major port operations to Mombasa from Naivasha and Nairobi in a bid to end economic deprivation facing local communities in the Coast.
Speaking in Mombasa, he said he will reverse the changes that were implemented over the use of the Standard Gauge Railway so that locals can het back their jobs.
“We have agreed with the leaders from the Coast. We will return all the port operations that were taken to Nairobi and Naivasha so that the youth can get employment,” said DP Ruto.
