The government has issued about 39,000 title deeds to the Coast region in new efforts to address the squatter problem that has characterised the region for decades.
On Monday, Kilifi County Commissioner Kutswa Olaka and former Lands CAS Gideon Mung’aro issued title deeds and allotment letters to residents of Petanguo in Ganze, Kisurutini in Rabai and Mferejini in Kilifi South.
Earlier this month, President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the title issuance program in Nairobi, aimed at addressing the same.
Led by Kilifi county commissioner Kutswa Olaka, and Kilifi COUNTY lands coordinator James Kamau the drive touched the hearts of the villagers with the majority expressing the disbelief of their lifetime towards receiving the vital documents.
Elated residents of these regions who received the more than 1,000 titles issued expressed hope that their hopes of developing their land have finally been realised.
One of the beneficiaries Ms Kabibi Katimbo a resident of Rabai said they had only dreamt of owning the document although it was now q reality.
“Survey and adjudication of our land were done many decades when our grandparents were still alive but they didn’t see this document. It’s a dream come true for us,” she said.
She urged the government to continue considering allocating land to its residents saying the issue of landlessness was a menace to the people.
Rabai MP aspirant Moddy Kamoti cautioned the residents against using the document to sell land or even engage in witch-hunting their elderly parents for cheap richness.
“Use this document to protect your land and utilise it for future generations. Dont sell your land,” he said.
 He further advised the community to use the title deed to go to banks where they would get loans to venture into different fields and prosper.
Mr Olaka also cautioned the residents against hunting elders who own those title deeds and instead urged the youth to sit with their parents and discuss best way forward towards benefitting from the title deeds.
“As a government were are going to engage Non-Governmental organizations to come up with sensitization programs to empower the communities against killing each other. We have discovered that land issue has also contributed to deaths of the elderly,” he said.
Mr Mung’aro who is also running for Kilifi governorship through ODMÂ assured that once elected, he will embark on a full settlement program by doing surveys and land adjudication for all residents whose land has not gone through any land ownership procedure.
“When I was in the lands docket, we processed more than 100,000 unlike previous ministers who were in office after Kenya got independence,” he said.
