Governor Achani vows to repossess idle land in Diani

Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani addresses a past function. [File, Standard] Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani has threatened to repossess idle land along the beach in Diani. Ms Achani said absentee landlords have left huge chunks of prime land undeveloped for years. She directed landowners to develop land or the county would reclaim it for development purposes. The warning comes at a time when the county has been unable to undertake development due to lack of public land after individuals rushed to illegally acquire prime parcels. Speaking in Kinondo, Msambweni Sub County, Achani said the notice will affect illegal landowners on the Diani beach line. "There are several lands within the county, which are not in use for a long time. It is now time to take this land as a county to develop projects that benefit our people," she said. The governor also asked private developers to surrender irregularly allocated land or else her administration will repossess the property. In October last year, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) CEO Twalib Mbarak handed over a 32-acre parcel at Chale Island in Diani worth Sh 1.2 billion after it was recovered from private developers. The land was formerly a Digo shrine (Kaya) but is managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service as part of Diani Marine Park. Mbarak was accompanied by Achani when he announced the recovery of the public land. The governor said Tuesday that the county government and EACC have managed to repossess two pieces of land illegally acquired in Diani that will be used to construct the Diani tourist market and the Kwale Heritage Convectional Centre. "Under my administration, several parcels of land have been reverted back to the county, including Chale Island, Kisite Mpunguti Marine Reserve among others, and we are working hard to acquire more of the illegally owned lands," Achani said. During a recent town hall meeting with President William Ruto, hotelier Mohamed Hersi said land owners in the Diani tourist resort retained their parcels for speculation and some were subdividing it. He regretted that it was tough for investors in the hotel industry because of the high cost of land and asked the government to intervene. Hersi said in Zanzibar those who fail to develop the land forfeit it to the state. At the same time, the governor urged President Ruto to fulfill his election promise to acquire land from the absentee landlords at the Coast. "My plea to President William Ruto is to prioritise solving the land menace in the coastal region as agenda number one so that the matter cannot be used again to settle political scores in the subsequent elections," Achani said. Ruto promised to use public funds to acquire land and settle squatters at the Coast. The government has so far allocated Sh1 billion to acquire land from absentee landlords in the region. The county government is expected to issue more than 100,000 title deeds across the county after the process of acquiring and subdividing group ranches across the county. The title deeds will be processed from the more than 150,000-acre Lungalunga, Chenze Ranch, Mwavumbo Ranch, Chengoni, Mazola, Mtaa, Bang'a, Mwavumbo Ranch and Mwereni Ranch. The county has urged residents not to take the law into their own hands in fighting land injustices. newsdesk@standardmedia.co.ke

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