Land Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu team starts work in Lamu

A team of land officers dispatched to Lamu County to survey land has commenced work in a bid to meet the deadline set by Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu.

The 72 surveyors and cartographers are to survey the county land before the Government can issue out title deeds.

Ministry of Lands Director of Survey Sesare Baria, who is heading the delegation, said they have formed eight teams to carry out the survey of the eight villages in the first phase of the exercise.

Mr Baria said the team is already done with reconnaissance and ground survey.

The targeted villages include Mkunumbi, Mapenya, Dambwe, Kiongwe, Mpeketoni Township, Koreni and Mokowe.

He explained that the second phase of the survey will be conducted on the proposed Swahili settlement scheme.

"At the Swahili centre, we will conduct the surveying and planning concurrently to save on time and ensure the villages are well organised to accommodate future growth," he said.

He exuded confidence that the exercise, which was slated to take 30 days will be completed much earlier than expected since the cooperation between the national and the county governments is good.

"The exercise has been welcomed by the residents who are very much excited of what we are doing. We are involving the community members so that it can be an all-inclusive undertaking," said Baria.

Lamu Lands Executive Officer Amina Masoud said the county is introducing the teams to the public so that they can have confidence in them considering the latest spate of attacks in the county and the emotive land issues.

Ms Amina said the exercise had picked up very well and that the county government would assist the officers to ensure land issues in the county were resolved.

Baria said once the survey is completed, they will produce registration maps, which will then be followed by the issuance of title deeds.