By  JOSEPH MASHA

Records from District Lands office indicate 70 per cent of residents are squatters

Kilifi County Government has petitioned the National Land Commission to investigate land allocations in 70 settlement schemes in the area.

County Governor Amason Kingi lamented that although the settlement schemes were earmarked for the landless, lands officers ended up giving land to prominent people and private developers.

“It is shocking to see that over 70 per cent of the people in the county are living as squatters yet the Government had set up settlement schemes many years ago,” said Mr Kingi.

Records from the District Lands office indicated that the Government had established about 70 settlement schemes, which were aimed at settling the landless people.

According to the lands and settlement officer Mr Felix Kiteto there are about 70 settlement schemes in the county adding that allocation in most of them had not been completed while others had stalled due to disputes among the beneficiaries.

Kilifi County Senator Stewart Madzyayo castigated the lands officers for the massive grabbing of public utility lands in the region.

The settlement schemes include Kapecha, Kidutani, Gatheche and Kijipwa in Kikambala Division, Kibarani, Tezo and Madeteni in Bahari District.

PRIVATE DEVELOPERS

Others are Jimba Kibamba Muche Settlement Scheme in Watamu and Magarini Settlement Scheme in Magarini District.

Mr Kingi said the commission should probe land allocation on the scheme lands and those found to have acquired lands irregularly from the schemes be prosecuted.

He noted that land in settlement schemes like Kijipwa had been allocated to private companies and other private developers at the expenses of the squatters.

“How will the problem of squatters be addressed in Coast region if settlement schemes established to settle the squatters end up being allocated to private companies,” lamented Mr Kingi.

The governor said his government will try and see that all landless people get allocated with land and issued with title deeds so that they could live happy lives like other Kenyans

land GRABBING

Mr Madzayo recommended the sacking of the lands officers implicated in land grabbing.

“Lands officers in Kilifi have been aiding land grabbers to take land earmarked for squatters and the only way to address the problem is for the governor to recommend their sacking,” he said.

Speaking at Kilifi playgrounds, he said the Governor has powers to recommend for either transferring or sacking of corrupt lands officers.

He further said lands officers had taken advantage of the leniency of area leaders to grab public utility plots and sale them to private developers and said the trend had to