Waitiki land dispute committee dissolved

A team that was formed to resolve the dispute between the owner of the 930-acre Waitiki farm in Likoni and squatters living on it has been disbanded.

The committee, which was formed early this year, was dissolved following alleged persistent misunderstandings between Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu and National Lands Commission chairman Mohamed Swazuri.

Speaking to journalists in Likoni during issuance of driving licences to 35 youths, Likoni MP Masoud Mwahima confirmed that the committee had been dissolved.

However, the government had intervened to have the issue addressed at the county level by January, the MP said.

“We had constituted a committee to resolve the contentious land issue under the Cabinet Secretary for Lands Charity Ngilu,” he said. “However we had to wait for the national government to transfer everything to the county government due to ongoing wrangles between the two leaders in the land sector.”

Mr Mwahima said the dispute between Mrs Ngilu and Mr Swazuri was a hindrance to the land sector, especially for the Coast region, which has historical land inequalities.

The government had identified Waitiki farm and Kwabulo as places where squatters should get title deeds to stop frequent evictions and that is likely to happen by January, according to the MP.

EVICTION ORDER

Mr Evanson Waitiki, the owner of the land, will be in the team that will be led by Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, which will oversee resolution of the dispute.

Mr Waitiki was worried that leaders were planning to dispossess him of his land while the squatters lived in fear of eviction.

Early this year, he reportedly obtained an eviction order, which was not implemented due to resistance from the squatters.