Lands body revokes irregularly acquired titles

By NGUMBAO KITHI and JOSEPH MASHA   

Kilifi, Kenya: The National Land Commission has revoked titles deeds at the Coast, which were irregularly acquired.

People having fake title deeds had grabbed land in Kawala, Kadzodozo and Madzimbani in Kilifi County chairman of the Commission, Dr Mohamed Swazuri said.

“Illegal titles, double allocations and overlap on adjudication are too much,” he said.

He said following the examination of various records in their possession and site visits, the Commission was of the view that grants and dispositions relating to parcels of land listed were obtained illegally or in an irregular manner.

He further said locals live on land with no title deeds only to learn that people had acquired title deeds on their land without their consent.

Swazuri has directed any person with an interest in land parcels to appear before the Commission within 14 days from the date of the notice to make presentations to the Commission before it makes any determination.

He said title deeds acquired in Kilifi and Jimba where. According to a public notice published in The Standard of July 10, other areas facing similar challenges include Mombasa town, Ukunda and Kwale.

He said the land parcels have illegal title deeds. Swazuri recently in partnership with the civil society demolished a wall and buildings at Shanzu, which had been erected to block an access route to the beach.

The move came after the Commission gave several warnings to the developer not to block the beach access road

Beach access

Swazuri warned that there were close to 40-beach access roads that had been blocked by developers at the Coast. He said beach access roads must be free for locals to use to access the sea. Meanwhile, the Commission has launched investigations over irregular allocation of land at the controversial Jimba /chembe/ kibabamuche Settlement Scheme beach land in Kilifi County.

Swazuri during a fact-finding tour on the disputed land at Watamu said all those who irregularly obtained land in the settlement scheme would lose the plots.

Sources from the County Land Registry indicated there were more than 300 land disputes touching on the land involving prominent personalities in the country.