President William Ruto has warned absentee landlords demanding billions of shillings for their land that the Government will not be forced into into paying prohibitive prices.
The President said some landlords are holding out for huge compensation while using title deeds to evict people and trample on their rights.
He was speaking at Mama Ngina Waterfront Grounds, Mombasa County, on Friday, where he issued 5,000 title deeds to Mombasa residents.
“We will not give in to the greed of the few absentee landlords who continue to frustrate our efforts to resolve historical land injustices at the Coast,” he said.
The President questioned how some of the titles were acquired and challenged their holders to explain their origin and how much they paid to acquire them.
He vowed to stand firm with Kenyans in the fight to regain their land rights, declaring that no Kenyan will be evicted from land they have occupied and called home.
The titles issued in Mombasa County cover seven settlements: Dongo Kundu (1,659), Mwakirunge (1,400), Kwa Punda (636), Ex-Waitiki (470), Kwa Hakatsa (389), Mafisini (200) and Mikindani 189.
The President said Kenyans will no longer live in fear of eviction, noting that his promise to issue title deeds ahead of the 2022 General Election was driven by the need to end the challenge of squatters and half-citizenship.
“Our people at the Coast did not realise full freedom in 1963 when Kenya gained Independence because they were denied their land rights,” he said.
He added: “This week alone, 300,000 residents at the Coast will move from being squatters to land owners. I will be back in two months to bring more titles. We must bring equity in Kenya.”
At the same time, President Ruto outlined plans to expand the Port of Mombasa to make it serve Kenya and East and Central Africa more efficiently.
He said the port will be upgraded, through financing from the National Infrastructure Fund, with the upgrading of Berths 11-14 and 23-24, doubling cargo-handling capacity from 2 million TEUs to 4.5 million TEUs.
The Government, he noted, will soon unveil the investor for the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone, a KSh700 billion investment expected to transform Mombasa into a major hub for manufacturing, trade and logistics.
The Vipingo Special Economic Zone, he pointed out, is already operational, with a private investor injecting KSh15 billion.
President Ruto noted that these initiatives, alongside the KSh2.2 trillion Dangote East African Petroleum Refinery in Lamu launched on Wednesday, are part of the Government’s strategy to accelerate economic growth and create jobs.
“Start finding your way to Lamu. Your skills are needed during the construction of the refinery,” the President urged Mombasa youths.
On the blue economy, he pledged development of more landing sites, fish markets and facilities that support value addition.
He also announced that the Shimoni Fish Port, which is due to be handed over to an operator, will create 2,500 jobs.
On Kilifi County development, President Ruto said the Government has increased nine-fold the annual road budget, from about KSh2 billion in 2022 to KSh18 billion this financial year to open up the region for trade and investment.
“We are advancing equity and fairness in the distribution of development resources, ensuring that every region of the country benefits from improved infrastructure and greater economic opportunities,” he said.
Later in Kilifi North Constituency, the President launched the construction of the 13km Gede-Kakuyuni road, which is being upgraded at a cost of KSh1 billion.
He also commissioned Watamu Technical and Vocational College in Watamu town. The National Government will equip the institution with facilities worth KSh45 million to enhance training and prepare young people for emerging opportunities nationally and at the Coast.
Further, the President commissioned Watamu Modern Market, one of 12 markets the Government is building in Kilifi County under the Affordable Housing Programme.
Present were by Cabinet Secretaries Alice Wahome (Lands and Housing) and Salim Mvurya ( Sports and Creative Economy), Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, Governors Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir ( Mombasa), Andrew Mwadime (Taita-Taveta) and Gideon Mung’aro (Kilifi), Principal Secretaries, MPs and MCAs, among other leaders.
Coast leaders welcomed the issuance of title deeds, saying successive governments failed to resolve the region’s longstanding land challenges.
The lack of documentation, they said, had left hundreds of thousands of families in prolonged uncertainty.
Mr Nassir said the working relationship between the National Government and counties has strengthened under President Ruto, leading to development across the country.
Mr Mvurya said the Broad-Based Government has fostered unity and enabled the country to focus on development.
Cabinet Secretary Wahome attributed the rapid progress on issuance of title deeds at the Coast largely to the President’s support, saying the target of 500,000 titles by the end of the year will be easily achieved.
Mr Kingi said although Coast residents were at the forefront in the struggle for liberation from colonial rule, their land rights were ignored after Independence in 1963.
APERIT FM, HII NI YETU
