President says more than 300,000 titles will be issued during eight-day Coast tour as government seeks to address longstanding land disputes

 

 

 

President William Ruto has announced plans to issue 94,175 title deeds in Kwale as the government steps up efforts to resolve long-running land disputes at the Coast.

 

More than 26,000 title deeds were handed to residents at Kibaoni in Lunga Lunga on Monday, September 28, with the wider Kwale allocation covering Lunga Lunga, Msambweni and Kinango constituencies.

 

Ruto said the exercise was part of an effort to address longstanding land problems in the region, including families living on land without formal ownership documents.

 

“When I sought your votes in 2022, I promised that I had the answer to the land question at the Coast. You are now witnesses that we meant what we said,” he said.

 

Ruto said more than 300,000 title deeds would be issued during his eight-day tour of the six coastal counties, with the government targeting 500,000 across the region by the end of the year.

 

The current programme covers 189,449 titles across Taita Taveta, Kwale, Kilifi, Mombasa, Lamu and Tana River. Kwale has the largest allocation, with 94,175 titles, followed by Kilifi with 36,826 and Taita Taveta with 31,318.

 

Ruto said the government had set aside KSh10 billion to buy land from absentee landlords and settle families who have occupied the properties for decades.

 

He also warned residents against paying brokers or officials for the documents.

 

“The Government of Kenya has paid everything for you to acquire these documents. Do not be deceived or coerced by anyone into parting with money to get your title deeds,” he said.

 

 

Kwale’s development plan says 55% of residents surveyed in 2018 had neither a title deed nor another legal document proving land ownership. It identifies absentee landlords, squatter settlements and communal land tenure among the county’s land-ownership challenges.

 

Among the beneficiaries are members of the Pemba community, which President Ruto formally recognised as an ethnic community in January 2023 after decades of statelessness. In July that year, the government granted citizenship documents to members of the community.

 

 

The land drive comes days before the government is due to break ground on Wednesday, September 30, on a proposed 700,000-barrel-a-day oil refinery in Lamu.

 

The proposed refinery is already the subject of a land dispute.

 

A group of 133 Chandavai residents has gone to the Malindi Environment and Land Court over LR No 13061 in the Hindi-Manda Magogoni area, saying their families have occupied, cultivated and developed the land for generations.

 

The court declined to stop the planned groundbreaking but ordered the parties to maintain the status quo on the disputed parcel until October 14, when the case is due to be heard.

 

Dangote Group said the order would not prevent Wednesday’s groundbreaking, although it could affect some activities at the site.