Farmers whose land will be acquired for the Lamu port project will get Sh1.5 million an acre, amid corruption allegations over the list of claimants. The landowners had their way after the government abandoned a proposal to pay them Sh270,000 an acre, which they had vehemently opposed. National Land Commission Chairman Muhammad Swazuri said: “We have agreed to compensate them at Sh1.5 million an acre. This will be done once we verify everything from the claimants,” Dr Swazuri told the Nation on Monday. A government consultant had valued land near the port project at Sh1.5 million an acre...However, two months ago, the government suggested Sh270,000 an acre. This sparked a row between Lamu leaders and Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu, whom they accused of breaching a pact with the farmers. Each of the 249 farmers listed by land commission for compensation will get between Sh2 million and Sh30 million, depending on the size of one’s land. The listed number of those to be paid has sparked controversy, with a former Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) official claiming it is inflated.