Why President Uhuru Kenyatta pitched tent in Coast

President Uhuru Kenyatta with government officials and Muslim leaders arrive for Maulid celebrations in Lamu.

Development and politics top President Uhuru Kenyatta’s 17-day long tour of Coast as Jubilee eyes support in the March Malindi by-election and next year’s General Election.

The President’s stay at the Coast, from December 24 last year, has stirred the ruling coalition and jolted CORD which enjoys massive political support in the region.

His deputy William Ruto was also in the region, concentrating on Kilifi and Malindi towns, where he met local leaders and addressed a rally at Pwani University.

Several things have happened during Uhuru’s stay, including high level “surrenders” and arrests of terror suspects in Mombasa and Malindi. Campaigns ahead of the Malindi Town constituency by-election began during his stay and this morning, Uhuru is set to issue the first batch of title deeds to squatters to be settled on the controversial Waitiki Farm.

This happened even as highly placed sources told The Standard On Saturday that the Mombasa County Government had refused to give a waiver for land rates that the Waitiki farm had accrued. This means beneficiaries of the settlement programme will have to collectively foot the pending payments.

Land rates

However, Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho said his government will waive the rates provided the national government will have it occupied by other people other than Waitiki.

Analysts suggest that Uhuru’s tours and attempt to address the so-called land question is motivated by the desire to influence the outcome of the March 7 by-election and 2017 polls in Jubilee’s favour.

Jubilee has, since 2013, been perceived to be incapable of solving the land problems and indifferent to the insecurity and collapse of the Coastal tourism sector, an issue it appears keen to address during Uhuru’s visit.

The President also believes the political, religious and community leaders and youth he has met will assist in fostering interest in the newly created Jubilee Party.

Debate also rages on the timing of the President’s announcement that his government had returned more than 350,000 acres of irregularly allocated land to Lamu residents.

The Opposition has dismissed the President and his deputy’s forays, warning that their pronouncements do not amount to a revolutionary assault on land injustices and marginalisation.

Last week, Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo said the visits would neither make Jubilee Party popular at the Coast nor enable the ruling coalition win the Malindi by-election.

“Jubilee has not made any gains in Coast and it is just forcing itself down the throats of Kenyans with a false claim of tyranny of numbers based on support from only two main regions — Rift Valley and Central Kenya,” Madzayo argued, saying CORD will comfortably reclaim Malindi.

In his visits, Uhuru ignored key Opposition leaders such as Joho, Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar and Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi. Early this week, he met more than 200 leaders from Lamu County and several Coast MPs at State House, Mombasa.

The President gave 2,000 title deeds to residents of Mkunumbi in Lamu West Sub-County on Thursday and another 2,000 title deeds in Faza on Friday.

He is expected to dish out 5,000 title deeds for the controversial Waitiki Farm in Likoni today. Lamu Governor Issa Timamy, who led a delegation from his county, said they were happy the President also announced that the government would tarmac the Garsen-Lamu road and disburse Sh100 million to King Fahd County Referral Hospital this financial year and an additional Sh100 million for Faza and Mpeketoni hospitals in the next financial year.

“Most leaders who spoke dwelt on this section of the highway and we are happy the President promised it will finally be fixed. The people of Lamu are also happy that the President handed back to the county government thousands of acres of land that had been irregularly allocated and agreed to attend this year’s Maulid celebrations,” Timamy said.

Issuance of title deeds is seen as spirited efforts by the Jubilee government to address the critical land question at the Coast that CORD used to a good effect as a campaign issue. In 2014, President Kenyatta personally distributed 60,000 title deeds across the coastal counties.

Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP) national chairman Nelson Dzuya said Jubilee had enhanced its winning chances by tackling land issue. But Senator Omar dismissed Jubilee, saying the national government had failed to address fundamental issues at the Coast.