Wednesday June 10, 2020
by CHETI PRAXIDES Ppcheti
The titles are mainly for houses built in Kiunga township.
Lamu governor Fahim Twaha arrives in Kiunga for title deed issuance exercise. (Photo by:CHETI PRAXIDES Ppcheti)
The Lamu government has issued over 200 title deeds to residents of Kiunga village on the Lamu-Somalia border.
The exercise took place on Tuesday and was presided over by Lamu Governor Fahim Twaha. The deeds are mainly for houses built in Kiunga township.
The governor also launched surveys for all farmland in the area and environs with a view to issuing more title deeds once the exercise is complete.
Land remains a thorny affair for locals as over 60 per cent of it is still listed as public, a situation that has opened the way for grabbers and irregular acquisition.
The situation has seen the population of squatters in the region go up with each passing year as grabbers prey on residents who have no title deeds to protect their lands.
Addressing residents of Kiunga, the governor said his administration was intent on resolving the land injustices that the region has faced for decades.
He said his administration intends to address the issue of the ever-growing squatter population by ensuring title deeds are issued to all landowners.
He said the ongoing surveys are geared towards ensuring squatters are resettled and accorded title deeds for the land.
Twaha said for the last three years, his administration had issued over 6,000 title deeds to residents in various parts of Lamu.
“Lamu has faced immense land injustices since Independence but we are making all efforts to correct these mistakes and ensure justice and comfort for our people. With a title deed in hand, no one can claim your land or grab it from you. We are focusing on ensuring people have deeds for all their land,” Twaha said.
He said the county government planned to resettle at least 20,000 squatters by the end of his term.
Edited by Henry Makori