Leaders shouldn’t politicise issuance of land title deeds

Kenya: Jubilee has embarked on an ambitious initiative to issue title deeds to thousands of squatters and landless Kenyans.

Once completed, it will become one of its key achievements bearing in mind that three successive governments in independent Kenya could not achieve this in the last 50-years.

While unveiling the exercise, President Uhuru Kenyatta warned against politicisation of the process and reiterated the commitment of his government to address the land question once for all.

 He announced that three million titles would be issued in the next three years. Coast leaders pledged to support the President terming the initiative a God send. Let us keep CORD politics out of this. This is a noble cause that will empower the less fortunate in our society economically and socially.

Notably, the leaders had earlier threatened to boycott the exercise on grounds they were not consulted and involved in the preparation but later dropped their hard line stance after they held talks with Mr Kenyatta and Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu.

Of course, the fears raised emanated from the misconceived assumption that the people from upcountry stood to benefit more that the indigenous Coast communities. But as it turned out, most of titles went to the locals. But with due respect I must remind Coastal leaders that our constitution provides that every Kenyan has a right to live and own property in any part of country.  Therefore, there is nothing wrong if some titles also go to Otienos, Njoroges and Kipkoechs.

It should be noted that the titles issued by the President were not new but old ones which had laid uncollected in the registries for years. This brings me to the question. If former President Kibaki and Raila cared for poor Kenyans, how come they did bother to issue the titles when they were in power? Surely, let us keep politics off of this noble cause.

Joseph Mutua Ndonga, Nairobi

The ongoing exercise of issuing title deeds to the landless at the Coast is quite noble. This development is good news for the residents who have lived for ages without valid land ownership documents.

The Government should be credited for taking the bold step aimed at empowering the poor at the Coast. Land is the most important factor of production. All wealth is founded on land. Therefore it was very unfair to subject a whole region to the shame of being squatters.

However, caution must be exercised even as the process takes off. All stakeholders especially local elected leaders and opinion leaders need to be fully involved. Any kind of secrecy will defeat the noble idea.

Already the Mombasa Republican Council leadership has trashed the process. To them, it is a political manoeuvre aimed at winning coastal votes.

Concerns by the opposition about the manner in which the process is being undertaken should not be ignored. In the run-up to the last General Election, leaders expressed opposition to the use of land as a political tool. They were of the view that land is an emotive issue which should be left to an independent body, the National Land Commission.

{B Amaya, Nairobi}