Hundreds of squatters in Kilifi County had a reason to smile after they were issued land title deeds.
At least 867 title deeds were given to the residents of Muyeye, Kwa Ndomo and Kibokoni villages through the Kenya Informal Settlement Improvement Project (KISIP).
KISIP program is funded by the World Bank and implemented by the State Department for Housing and Urban Development. It seeks to uplift the living standards of 1.4 million Kenyans in informal settlements.
Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi said that the county government and the Ministry of Lands were in the final stages of issuing 2,944 title deeds to residents in ten informal settlements.
He noted that the issuance of title deeds will shield vulnerable families from evictions and eradicate inequalities.
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“It is important to keep the title deeds well because this is a form of inheritance that can be passed from you to your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren,” he said.
Governor Kingi was accompanied by Charles Hinga, Principal Secretary of State Department for Housing and Urban Development, Magarini MP Michael Kingi, Kilifi Lands executive Maureen Mwangovya, MCAs Edward Dele (Sabaki), Peter Ziro (Garashi) and David Kadenge (Malindi Town), among other officials.
Kingi said that he was keen on upgrading infrastructure in 13 informal settlements. He said his administration will expand the road networks, install security lights, ensure proper drainage and sanitation, and waste management.
“Development further cements our commitment as a county government to improve living conditions in informal settlements through the infrastructural development and land ownership,” he said.
PS Hinga said those who were issued title deeds were now landowners and it will be difficult for them to be used to cause violence.
“Please don’t sell the land. The first step out of poverty is ownership,” he said.
Magarini MP Michael Kingi urged the beneficiaries to invest in the land they had been allocated. “You are now carrying gold. If you use it well, it will transform your life.”
Kilifi is among the Coastal counties that have had challenges of land ownership for years, with the majority of people living as squatters.
