Govt Reserves Over 10,000 Acre Land for New Military Camps in Garissa & Tana River Counties

The National Land Commission has officially reserved over 10,000 acres of land for military use in Garissa and Tana River counties, according to gazette notices published on January 16, 2026.

The Ministry of Defence has been granted control over two parcels: 9900 acres in Garissa County, designated as a military camp and training area, and 304 acres in Tana River County for a military camp.

The land parcels, identified as L.R. No. 33024 in Garissa and L.R. No. 33516 in Tana River, were formally reserved through powers conferred by the Land Act.

The reservation orders were signed by National Land Commission Chairman Gershom Otachi on August 7, 2025, and published in Gazette Notice No. 473 for Tana River and Gazette Notice No. 474 for Garissa.

The reservation orders come with 19 special conditions that the Ministry of Defence must adhere to while managing these parcels. Among these is a requirement to allow controlled and regulated access to critical areas for community livelihoods, including grazing, salt licks and livestock watering points.

The orders also mandated the military to provide access to wildlife movement corridors to mitigate potential human-wildlife conflicts. The Ministry of Defence had to ensure that at least 10 per cent of the land is covered by trees and vegetation as part of constitutional requirements.

The ministry is required to prepare and submit environmental and social impact assessment reports before any major land development projects, in line with the Environmental Management and Coordination Act, 1999.

Within 180 days of publishing the reservation order, the ministry had to prepare and submit a land use andmanagement plan to the National LandCommission.

The Ministry of Defence was also required to ensure periodic monitoring of critical and sensitive natural assets within the reserved parcels and submit annual reports. The ministry must also protect vital natural assets, including water sources, forests, and wildlife concentration and breeding areas.

The reservation orders further required the military to promote local content and engage communities during land development to create jobs and income. while ensuring compliance with guidelines on rehabilitation of quarries and waste disposal sites and promoting refuse recycling, reuse, and composting.

Furthermore, theMinistry of Defence had to pay assessmentsto county governments as authorised by law and facilitate coordination of services by other public agencies on the reserved land. The ministry was not to transfer possession of the land without written consent from the National Land Commission.

Another condition required the military to develop inclusive governance for conflict transformation and peacebuilding on identified disputes, involving community leaders, women, and youth. The orders also require the ministry to facilitate the National Land Commission in identifying and mapping ecologically sensitive areas.