Marry and sire many children. That is Lamu Governor Issa Timamy's message to young people in the county.
Timamy said Lamu's population is very low, and the only way to boost the numbers is to encourage young people who have come of age to marry and sire children.
The county, which has 6,273 square kilometres, is Kenya's least populated region with only 101,539 people, according to the 2009 population census. Consequently it receives the lowest financial allocation from the national government.
The county has only two National Assembly seats and some of its islands are uninhabited and characterised by grinding poverty, insecurity and water scarcity.
In a bid to encourage young people to get married, Mr Timamy ordered they be allocated land to entice them to settle down.
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Title deeds
"Youth in Kiunga and other parts of the county have to marry and ensure they contribute to the growth of the area people population," the governor said on Sunday.
He made the remarks after Lamu executive committee member for Lands Amina Rashid assured the residents of Kiunga that their land will be surveyed and that they will be issued with title deeds later.
Ms Rashid said the county government is in the process of planning Kiunga urban centre.
"Lamu county government has embarked on a programme of planning all the county urban centres and the best way to do that is to ensure the lands are surveyed and the people get issued with title deeds," said Rashid.
But Timamy said surveying and allocation of land should not only benefit elderly people alone and directed lands officials to ensure that even the youth get land and title deeds.
The governor said by being allowed to own land, complete with title deeds, youths will become secure and proceed to start their own families.
