Fresh row stalks title deeds issued by President Uhuru at Coast

Squabbles still stalk 60,000 title deeds issued by President Uhuru Kenyatta at the Coast in 2013, The Standard has established.

Residents of Kwale and Mombasa counties have called for an audit of the allocation exercise, following an alleged mess that has led to fierce disputes.

The residents said local land committees took advantage of the rush in processing title deeds to benefit undeserving people at their expense.

Mombasa Land Executive Antony Njaramba said the county government had dispatched a team to sort out the mess involving 950 title deeds issued to residents of Mwakirunge by the Jubilee Government in 2013.

According to him, it would take at least three months to address the matter that has led to endless squabbles at the scheme.

Matching exercise

"My officers are trying to match the title deeds and the actual place that the beneficiaries were allocated," Njaramba said yesterday.

Tension had gripped more than 2,000 households at the Mwakirunge scheme as they have not been shown their plots since they were given the titles while other names and plots have been interchanged.

In Kwale, County Assembly Land Committee Chairman Ndoro Mweruphe said his team had recommended revocation of the entire titling at Golini Settlement Scheme in Matuga constituency after a petition by local residents.

"The allocation was messed up so much that the county assembly resolved that it should be revoked to end disputes," Mr Mweruphe said.

He said many "strangers" got title deeds and more people from 'outside' were issued with the documents than local squatters.

Kwale County Executive Ali Mafimbo said the recommendation by the county assembly to have the Golini Scheme revoked was sent to the National Land Commission (NLC) early this year.

"We wrote to NLC early this year calling for revocation of all title deeds at Golini Settlement Scheme through the Kenya Gazette because the exercise was messed up. We are still waiting for NLC to act on the matter," Mafimbo said.

And at the Sanali Farm at Mgandini, more than 300 families want the allocation of the land investigated by Government after some unknown people stormed the village claiming land.