Buy land to resettle squatters, Kingi tells Uhuru

The emotive land issue at the Coast has continued to recur after every election cycle with the political class using it as a campaign tool.

Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi, whose region has been experiencing deep-rooted land matters, said the problem needs to be resolved once and for all.

Last July, three people were killed in Junju village in Kilifi South over a suspected land tussle in the area.

The trio—Sidik Anwarali Sumra, Rahil Mohamed Kasmani and James Kazungu—were killed in cold blood after they were accused of allegedly trying to grab an ancestral parcel of land.

On Monday, Kingi asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to fast track a programme where the government will buy land from absentee landlords to resettle squatters.

He said a similar programme was rolled out in the 1960s. Government bought land from foreign settlers, which was then given to deserving Kenyans communities.

According to Kingi, President Uhuru has shown commitment in resolving the land issues at the coast.

 “There is one thing that has really disturbed the Coast region- the land question. You have understood the problem in the region and you promised to resolve it,” he said.

Kingi revealed that the Jubilee administration has begun the process of buying a controversial parcel of land in Takaungu.

“You have started buying the Mazrui land in Kilifi and we want this programme continue in all the affected regions of the coast. All such lands should be bought by the government and given to locals,” he said.

A big chunk of land in Takaungu that belongs to the Mazrui family has been at the centre of protracted battles between communities.

Kingi and Lands Chief Administrative Secretary Gideon Mung’aro have been leading the talks to settle the matter.

Previously, Mung’aro said several measures had been taken to address land matters in the region; they included purchasing several parcels of land owned by the Mazrui family in different parts of Kilifi county.

Mung’aro said the government had set aside Sh377 million for the Mikanjuni land in Mtwapa and Kagaa in Kibarani where they are purchasing 4,168 acres.

Mtwapa land is expected to resettle almost 10,000 people.

President Uhuru has for the past 1o years issued thousands of title deeds to the six counties of the coast.

In January of 2006, President Uhuru issued title deeds to landowners at the controversial 930-acre Waitiki farm in Likoni, Mombasa.

The government purchased the parcel of land at Sh1.2 billion where over 7,000 residents were settled.

In the first phase, the Head of State issued 5,007 title deeds to the residents.

The Government negotiated and bought Waitiki farm through the revolving Settlement Trustee Fund (STF) to settle those who had been squatters on the land for many years.