Jubilee government gave us fake title deeds, claim Kihiu Mwiri land owners

A section of land owners from Kihiu Mwiri Farmers Company led by Samuel Kimani(in a cap) protesting outside the Ministry of Lands offices yesterday. The land owners had stormed the offices demanding an audience with Lands Cabinet Secretary Prof Jacob Kaimenyi over claims that their land titles issued following President Uhuru Kenyatta's directive are fake.

A section of members of the controversial Kihiu Mwiri Farmers Company have expressed their frustration over alleged 'fake' title deeds in their possession issued by the government.

The members from Murang'a County stormed the Ministry of Lands offices in Nairobi demanding an audience with Cabinet Secretary Prof Jacob Kaimenyi whom they wanted to address their woes.

Among their complaints, is that, despite being in possession of titles, they have no land to show for it.

They also claimed that the titles have been rejected by banks, courts hence cannot be used to secure any loan or presented as bond in case of bailing someone out.

"We were given titles without land while others have land without titles. Some even bought land and were issued with titles whose authenticity is questionable," said Samuel Kimani, a shareholder of the company who is also said to be a member of the Titling Committee.

Mr Kimani lamented that they have been reduced to squatters on their own land despite all of them being in possession of certificates that prove they are entitled to ownership.

He said each of the 3,507, members has 20 shares on their name in the company which means they should all be entitled to equal size of land.

"But when the surveyors came they kept on shifting the beacons according to instructions from some land owners. The land was also demarcated to different sizes of 100 by 100, 60 by 40, 20 by 30 feet," Kimani added.

At least 100 surveyors were authorized by the current Education Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang'i during his tenure in the lands docket in 2015 to demarcate 1,085 hectares to pave way for allocation.

And in 2016 July, the ministry went ahead and gave green light for allocation of 2, 870 titles to the shareholders of the land buying company.

The troubles with Kihiu Mwiri gained prominence following a series of murders of its directors and powerful shareholders that totaled to 11. Some were reported missing.

The atrocities, which prompted President Uhuru Kenyatta to freeze registration of land buying companies, were linked to managerial wrangles emanating from the sale of 80 acres at a cost of Sh72 million to two companies named Harvest and Breeze Investments.