Don't rush to court to settle land disputes, CS Ngilu advises

Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu has advised Kenyans not to go to court to settle land disputes before exhausting other available dispute resolution mechanisms.

Ms Ngilu said land cases are lengthy and expensive, and so alternative dispute mechanisms should be pursued.

“Some of these disputes can be solved without having to go to court,” she said. She thanked the Njuri Ncheke Council of Elders who have been arbitrating in land disputes.

Ngilu, speaking in Meru after visiting various adjudication areas, said land officers are working overtime to issue 200,000 titles deeds within the shortest time possible.

She said about 200,000 titles are to be issued to Meru residents in the next 10 days. “I am encouraged by the work going on. We have land officers on the ground and we will bring more. We want to issue the titles in the next few days,” added Ngilu.

The CS said the Lands Registry in Meru Central will be closed from today for a re-engineering process, and will reopen after two weeks.

No services will be available during this period. She was shocked when she found a manual typewriter in the senior lands registrar’s office.

“We will take this to the museum and bring in new computers in the next 10 days,” Ngilu said adding that the computers will be connected to the ministry’s titling centre for networking purposes.

More manpower

She said the 183 land officers that the ministry has deployed to speed up the adjudication process are working extra hard to deliver the titles. Speaking in Igembe, Ngilu said President Uhuru Kenyatta will personally issue the titles.

North Imenti MP Rahim Dawood asked the minister to resolve the dispute between Imenti North residents who, in spite of having titles, have been invaded by squatters from Tharaka Nithi County.

“Our land ends where rivers Kathita and Kuru meet. There is a border dispute between Imenti North and Tharaka Nithi. We want the squatters to be given alternative land in their county, because our people have titles and want to use the land for economic activities,” Mr Dawood said.

He also said that adjudication should be done in Kithirune and residents given allotment letters. “Slum dwellers in Majengo, Shauri Yako and Salama have no titles. We want NLC to do verification and issue allotment letters for Majengo residents,” said Dawood.

Ngilu said her department is working hard to issue more of the vital documents. “For the one-and-half years I have been in office, I have seen the suffering of Kenyans, especially the youth. We established the National Titling Centre where everything from registry and surveying, are under the same roof,” she said.

The minister toured Igembe Central and Igembe North, areas with the most land cases. She did not visit Tharaka Nithi as expected, and leaders, including Governor Samuel Ragwa, expressed their disappointment.

She said it was unfortunate that Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale was talking ill of the Jubilee Government in matters land. She said it was a baptism of fire when she was given the Lands docket and President Kenyatta instructed her to start work on issuing three million titles for Kenyans.

Woman Representative Florence Kajuju said 90 per cent of all cases at the Meru Law Courts were about land.

“Some of the land cases have turned into murders, and succession battles,” said Ms Kajuju adding that Meru residents have suffered for the last 57 years because of lack of titles.

She told residents to co-operate with officers managing the adjudication process. “Please let us not stop the process because, the aim is to have 200,000 titles in a matter of days. It is a progressive process, so we do not expect to solve all cases,” she said.