Vice-President Deogratius Ndejembi has directed the Ministry of Agriculture and local authorities to ensure smallholder farmers are the main beneficiaries of the government’s acquisition of Highland Estate in Mbarali District, warning against attempts by influential individuals to hijack the process.
The government has valued the approximately 6,000-acre farm at Sh30 billion and has already released Sh10 billion towards its acquisition, with the remaining payments expected to be completed in the coming two months.
Speaking in Rujewa, Mbeya Region, on October 18, 2026, while delivering a message from President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Mr Ndejembi said the initiative was intended to restore access to affordable farmland for smallholder farmers, rather than create opportunities for a few wealthy individuals.
He said the government wanted to bring the farm under state management and lease it to farmers at affordable rates, easing the burden on those who currently pay between Sh600,000 and Sh700,000 per acre to rent land elsewhere.
“The government’s money, provided under President Samia Suluhu Hassan, must not become an opportunity for a few economically powerful people to enrich themselves while the smallholder farmers who are supposed to benefit continue to suffer,” he said.
Mr Ndejembi directed Agriculture Minister Daniel Chongolo to work with regional and district leaders, security organs and government institutions to identify genuine farmers eligible to benefit from the scheme.
He warned that the government would not tolerate manipulation of beneficiary lists or attempts by individuals to exploit their positions to secure land for personal gain.
“There is no reason to sympathise with people who use their positions to benefit themselves while ordinary citizens continue to suffer,” he said.
The Vice-President also cautioned against a possible arrangement in which individuals rent the government-owned land at subsidised rates and then sublet it to smallholder farmers at exorbitant prices.
He said such practices would undermine the programme’s objectives and deny intended beneficiaries access to affordable farmland.
Mr Ndejembi further directed the Agriculture Ministry to establish a clear deadline for completing the allocation process, stressing that farmers could not afford unnecessary delays.
“Farmers have families to support, children to educate and livelihoods to sustain. The process must therefore be completed within a clearly defined timeframe,” he said.
Responding to the directives, Mr Chongolo said the government had completed the first phase of payments for Highland Estate and expected to settle the remaining two phases within two months.
He assured the Vice-President that the ministry would strengthen the allocation process to ensure smallholder farmers received priority.
“The farm will not be distributed to citizens as individual property. Instead, it will remain under government management and be leased to farmers on affordable seasonal terms,” he said.
The arrangement is intended to give farmers access to land for cultivation without requiring them to purchase it outright, while allowing the government to oversee its use and the selection of beneficiaries.
Mr Ndejembi said the government must ensure that implementation remained transparent and accountable to protect the interests of farmers who had lost access to land following changes to conservation area boundaries.
He stressed that the initiative must deliver tangible benefits to the intended beneficiaries rather than be captured by individuals pursuing personal interests.
The Highland Estate programme is part of government efforts to address land access challenges facing smallholder farmers in Mbarali, where high rental costs have placed pressure on agricultural production and household incomes.