. Mutale
By SYLVESTER MWALE –
CENTRAL Province Permanent Secretary Edwidge Mutale says she will not allow the displacement of residents by Capital Fisheries in Luano District following reports of forced eviction of the locals.
Ms Mutale said while she was not against the investment proposed by the fish producing company, such business should not be done by displacing the indigenous people in the area.
Some residents recently told the Sunday Times that they are being forced out of their farms without adequate compensation after Chief Kanyesha allegedly offered their 1,900 hectares to Capital Fisheries for the construction of fish ponds.
But Ms Mutale said: “I think 1,900 hectares of land is too big for the construction of the fish ponds, and I am not aware how the company managed to acquire that huge piece of land.”
She said as much as the Government welcomed the investment, it was not clear whether Capital Fisheries wanted to use the entire land for the fish ponds.
It is understood that Government evaluators were asked to estimate the value of the properties in the area before coming up with the amount to compensate each of the affected residents.
Matuka Matuka said he was on the verge of losing his 250 hectare farm after he was told by the company to vacate the area.
Mr Matuka who claimed he had lost some property during the inconvenience, said the Capital Fisheries was using force with guns to evict those that were resisting to relocate.
Company chairperson Chance Kabaghe has repeatedly refused any wrong doing saying the residents voluntarily relocated after agreeing to get compensation of up to K30,000 per person.
Mr Kabaghe said the company “paid over and above what was in the evaluation report” and the residents agreed to move to alternative places.
“We bought that piece of land about five years ago, and there were only seven families at that time which were all compensated with more than the value of their pieces of land.
“And as far as we are concerned many people are happy with what we are doing because that project is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs for the local people,” Mr Kabaghe said.
