NLC to revoke prime beach plot titles

National Land Commission Chairman Muhammad Swazuri has said multi-billion shilling hotels and homes, predominantly owned by Italians, will be demolished and the land given back to local communities. [FILE]

The National Land Commission (NLC) has said some foreign investors who own prime beach plots and hotels have 'dubious' ownership documents.

This effectively means that the fate of these properties, worth billions of shillings located at the controversial Chembe Kibabamche and Kilifi Jimba settlement schemes in Watamu, Malindi, now hangs in the balance.

NLC chairman Mohammed Swazuri said the commission has been at the two settlement schemes for the last four weeks and have unearthed massive irregularities.

LAND FRAUD

Mr Swazuri said they questioned how foreigners can purport to own land at settlement schemes which have been established by the Government to settle locals and are not open to non-Kenyans.

Further, the chairman noted that vital documents are missing at the land registry saying they secured back up information which helped them establish shady dealings some land officers have been engaging in with the foreigners.

"We have established that most of these foreigners have free hold titles for the parcels of land which they claim to own yet the law is very clear that no foreigner should own land at a settlement scheme or posses land on a free hold basis," he said.

He said the commission has received more than one million disputes concerning the two controversial schemes which have had more than three caveats slapped by the former Moi and Kibaki regimes and a number of task force teams formed to resolve the matter.

However, despite these restrictions and recommendations, land disputes at the scheme remain unresolved and locals continue to engage in bitter confrontation with the investors, majority of whom are Italians.

Records at the Malindi High Court registry indicates there are more than 300,000 cases of land disputes at the two scheme.

Swazuri said the commission will be forced to revoke the titles and revert the land back to the locals.

"It does not matter the amount of money used in putting up these investments, we shall demolish them the same way we brought down a 300roomed hotel in Shanzu, Mombasa that was constructed on illegally acquired land," he said.

The chairman noted that the law is applicable to locals and foreigners alike pledging that his team will find a lasting solution to this land dispute that has been unresolved for more than 30 years.

"Unlike other task force teams whose mandate was to forward their recommendation to Parliament for discussion and approval, NLC had been granted powers by the constitution to repossess illegally acquired land and revert it to its bonafide owners," he said.

RENDER JUSTICE

Watamu Ward Rep Ibrahim Matumbo asked the commission to ensure justice is rendered saying the former task force teams ended up siding with the foreign investors.

"We want this matter resolved. It is unfortunate that to date, locals continue to live as squatters, dispossessed from land established by the Government to settle them," he said.