Governors pledge cash to resettle squatters

Coast governors have pledged to fund the National Land Commission to complete adjudication of more than 1,000 settlement schemes in the region.

The county bosses from Kwale, Kilifi, Mombasa, Lamu, Tana River and Taita Taveta counties said they would make budgetary allocations to help the commission achieve its objective of settling thousands of squatters.

Speaking at the end of a high-level conference on land Monday, the leaders said they were worried that because of under funding by the national government, the commission will not settle their people in good time.

The land problem had existed for decades and the matter had been discussed for many years without a solution, Kwale’s Salim Mvuyra said.

“That is why we will give it (the commission) money from our budgets.”

Mombasa County Executive Secretary for Land and Housing Francis Thoya said the county government had set aside funds to help the commission complete adjudication, allotment and issuing of title deeds to hundreds of squatters in the county.

Kilifi governor Amason Kingi, also pledged funds, but raised concern that the commission had not spelt out its plan.

“Indeed we have funds in our budgets, but where are the programmes by the commission to implement the settlement?” he asked.

Complex matter

The commission would not achieve much with the money if it did not have a plan, he said.

Lamu Governor Issa Timammy and representatives from Taita-Taveta and Tana River said their counties would provide funds for the same purpose.

The meeting at Mombasa Beach Hotel brought together officials from the Ministry of Lands, the National Land Commission and representatives from six counties in the Coast region.

It resolved that the land problem was complicated due to historical reasons.

Speakers cited the issue of settlement schemes as one that presents the biggest challenge to efforts to solve the land problem at the Coast.

NLC chairman Muhammad Swazuri said many decisions made in regard to land in the region completely ignored real challenges on the ground, making implementation almost impossible.

The commission was overwhelmed by the complexity of the matter, which he partly blamed on “table plans” generated in Nairobi which ignored real issues on the ground.

Commissioner Silas Kinoti Muriithi had earlier told the forum that Kwale was one of the counties beleaguered by problems arising from settlement schemes.

He cited the 7,000-acre Ramisi Phase One scheme for which two plans were drawn from Nairobi indicating it had 800 squatters each of whom was to be allocated five-and-a-half acres.

However, the physical and survey plans failed to cater for a majority of the squatters on the ground numbering more than 4,000.

During the settlement, those not in the list of 800 were asked to leave but they declined bringing the plan to a halt after only 57 squatters had been allocated land.

Commissioner Adan Khalif said more difficulties had resulted in the change of land ownership and status from crown, to trust to private as well as irregularities in the acquisition process.

During the session, land officials from the six counties were asked to table the challenges they face in settlement of the landless for discussions.

The governors also said they would not renew expired land leases in their areas unless this was done through their respective county assemblies.

“We will not allow the renewal of expired leases because we could end up having no land for development since the leases occupied huge tracts of land,” said Mr Mvurya.

Taita Taita Taveta has one of the most serious land problems, with huge chunks of land under sisal plantations, held by a few people.

The county leaders have now vowed to repossess the land to use to settle the problem of landlessness.

Wundanyi MP Thomas Mwadeghu cited the 70,000-acre Teita Sisal plantation.

He said 50 years after independence foreigners were not supposed to suppress the local community any more.

“We are starting with this one and after that we will move to Voi and Taveta while the locals who also own huge chunks of land should be prepared to explain how they got it while the bigger population was living as squatters,” he said.

Lamu residents accused some well-connected tycoons of robbing them of their land. Mzee Mohamed Omar who has lived on Manda island for more than a decade, said the big land owners always run to the courts then use money to obtain title deeds.

“I have lived here since I was a small boy. Why should someone evict me from my own land? The land commission must look into this,” said Mzee Omar.

Dr Swazuri noted that land problems in Manda and Lamu County in general are due to historical injustices.

He said no expired lease had been renewed in the country as claimed in some quarters.

Reports by Daniel Nyassy, Samwel Kazungu and Jonathan Manyindo