Raila told to give his land at the Coast to squatters

By PAUL GITAU

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has been asked to give his land at the Coast to the landless.

Squatters in Malindi’s Chembe-Kibabamche Settlement Scheme have urged Raila to surrender seven acres he owns there.

They also called on other senior Government officials who own land in Malindi and other parts of Coast Province to donate it to squatters.

The squatters, led by Malindi politician Nixon Charo Mramba, urged Raila to "display his statesmanship and surrender the land for the resettlement of squatters, the main reason the scheme Government set up the scheme in the 1970s".

Private land

Last week, four suspects, including former Malindi Mayor Fredrick Kazungu Diwani and retired District Lands Registrar Elizabeth Thoya, were charged with forging a title deed for the Prime Minister’s land.

They are out on bond.

"While we do not want to comment on the court case, we would like the Prime Minister to donate the land to the landless," said Mr Mramba.

He said senior people in Government own land in the scheme and other places along the coastal strip, and they should surrender it.

"We want leaders who will address the plight of the downtrodden," said Mramba.

Meanwhile, Malindi DC Arthur Mugira has declared war on squatters who invade and allocate themselves private land.

He said the Provincial Administration and the police would crack down on invaders and prosecute them.

Speaking to the Press yesterday, the DC said people had a right to own property anywhere and the Government had a duty to protect them.

"We want to create an environment in which investors will buy property in and develop Malindi. People invading land for the misplaced reason that it belongs to their ancestors are fooling themselves," he said.