Joku clarifies Wildlife Sanctuary land issue

The Sunday Bulletin first carried the exclusive story on its front page regarding the Moitaka Wildlife Sanctuary land.

By NORBERT KOKE

THE Managing Director of Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA) Gunther Joku says the land portion known as Moitaka Wildlife Sanctuary land is not sold and remains the property of CEPA.

The allegation on the illegal sale of the State land was carried by this paper in its previous edition has drawn public attention and criticisms can now be put to rest.

“This land is identified as Section 297 Allotment 01, measuring 43.83 hectares specifically for operating a wildlife sanctuary for the city in the country with an unimproved value of K65 million.”

Mr Joku said the Moitaka Wildlife Sanctuary land is still owned by CEPA and it comes under one of CEPA’s main functions which is wildlife and conservation that involves looking after national parks according to the National Park Act with the other CEPA’s function being the environment regulation.

In an exclusive interview with The Sunday Bulletin Mr Joku, however said the land has been a huge liability to the department.

He said there was also lack of resources to keep the facility and the life on it going as required under their function.

The MD said the experience of the Department of Environment and Conservation losing one of its scenic sites being Paga Hill was also one of the reasons why the department went ahead to secure the Moitaka Land to develop their staff housing scheme, auditorium and office complex.

He said according to the land registration with the Department of Lands and Physical Planning, Paga Hill land was listed as a scenic site and Moitaka for Zoological purposes under the Certificate Authorisation Occupancy (CAO).

“It was not safe anymore to have that kind of huge land undeveloped because anyone can come and claim it like what happened to Paga Hill using the Certificate of Occupancies Status,” Mr Joku said.

Mr Joku added to retain most of their staff; the housing scheme was seen as the best possible option because accommodation has always been an issue.

“That alone started the idea for the department to branch out because according to law, a State department cannot hold title to a state land and through CEPA being an authority the department can be able to convert that land into the staff housing scheme.

“All that idea started right back in 2010-2011 and when CEPA moved from being a department to an authority, part of the idea was to do that because there were lack of resources to support Moitaka and other national parks.

“Prior to that an internal housing committee was set up before CEPA became an authority and then they started to look at the home ownership housing scheme,” the Managing Director said.

He said bidders were invited to bid for the contract to develop the land and it was around that time when there was a change in government and luckily former Minister John Pundari was then appointed Minister so they were able to push the agenda through.

An Italian bidder known as Manhattan and Dynasty a subsidiary of the Rimbunan Hijau Group of Companies were shortlisted from the 12 bidders who wanted to develop the land, but according to Joku, Dynasty was considered because Manhattan was based overseas and there were no funds onshore to fund the project.

“We were able to push the project agenda through the Central Supplies and Tenders Board (CSTB) but still there was no funding so the CSTB questioned us for the Authority to Pre - Committee (APC)”, he said.

According to Ricks Tanda a consultant who was spearheading the housing scheme, the idea for land swap came to them because they had no money to fund the project.

Mr Tanda said they don’t have the money but the concept was that they will cut the land into parcels and will ask the developer to complete a project then they would release another parcel of land only if the project is completed and that was how they proposed to complete the project and it was accepted by the bidder and CSTB.

He said because the project was beyond the K10 million CSTB thresholds they had directed the internal housing committee to seek cabinet approval.

Mr Joku said in a NEC decision number NG: 266/2015, the National Executive Council (NEC) went ahead and approved the project agreeing to the proposal provided by the housing committee.

The project development was then about to commence but according to Joku the hold-up is with the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) Physical Planning Board pre-planning committee and it has taken almost a year for them to come back with the approval.

He said once the pre-committee sits and screens the technicality and legality of the project proposal then it would be sent to the NCDC Building and Planning Board for approval.

He concluded that once the approval is given they will commence with the development and he maintained that the land is still owned by CEPA and it was never sold as speculated in the media and social media.

Mr Joku stressed that the approval to commence the development of the land between CEPA and the developer Dynasty Limited was signed by the former minister, Mr Pundari on July 14, 2016, brushing aside allegations that the land was sold on this date as false.

“I must confirm that the decision we have taken is a benefit to the department and the country in the long run,” Mr Joku said.