The Ministry of Lands has started a community sensitisation exercise in Taita Taveta to ensure all community lands are registered.
The exercise will end land conflicts in the region.
County commissioner Layford Kibaara said residents will be sensitised on the Community Land Act, to ensure the community owns and manages its lands.
“We want to ensure they are issued with title deeds, to enjoy the benefits of owning the documents,” Kibaara said.
He said the government will speed up the registration of community lands.
The Community Land Act, Kibaara said, will enhance proper land acquisition and uphold peace among the members.
The ministry team will have a public engagement in Kasighau, Mramba and Mgeno among other areas experiencing land disputes.
Kibaara spoke on Tuesday during a leadership meeting on the implementation of the Community Land Act at a Voi hotel.
The Act was initiated in 2016 and aimed at ensuring communities legally register their communal lands to ensure marginalised groups legally own, claim, and manage the lands they rely on for economic livelihoods.
Agriculture executive Davis Mwangoma said the lands department is working closely with the national government and community members to ensure community lands are issued with title deeds.
“We will ensure the registration process is successful. The land issues will be solved through the issuance of title deeds,” he said.
Mwangoma said the ministry and the department are collaboratively working towards ending landlessness in the county.
He called for the involvement of residents in the adjudication process, to bring sanity, transparency and accountability.
The land issue has been emotive prompting objections that have delayed land adjudication in most of the disputed areas.
In October last year, the county assembly passed a motion to halt the registration of community land in the county for lack of openness.
The ward reps said the registration exercise was not transparent and lacked public participation.
In the motion moved by Kasigau MCA Abraham Juma, the assembly said several unregistered parcels of land were at the risk of being grabbed by cartels if the exercise was not transparent.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
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