Coast squatters set to be settled on government land

Kilifi MCA Lawrence  Kilabo gives a beacon certificate to Janet Kaingu, a beneficiary of the government land at Kiwandani-Prison in Kilifi County.  [PHOTO: JOSEPH MASHA/STANDARD]

By JOSEPH MASHA

KILIFI COUNTY: About 1,200 squatter families living on government land in Kilifi Town of Kilifi County might soon be settled on the land permanently.

The squatters, who have been living at Kiwandani-Prison on land earmarked as Kilifi Show Ground site, have now been issued with beacon certificates after surveying was done.

The ceremony to issue the certificates was held at Baptist Church, Kisangani on Sunday and was presided over by Hospital Sokoni ward representative, Lawrence Kilabo.

Mr Kilabo said the squatters, in consultation with government officials, formed a squatter’s settlement upgrading scheme four years ago aimed at raising funds to finance survey of the land.

The ward rep said Kilifi County Government is out to fight the squatter problem, which has dominated the area.

JOINT EFFORTS

“Kenyans chose to have a devolved system of government so that people can address their issues at grassroots level. The planned settlement of 1,200 squatters at Kiwandani is one of the benefits of the devolved system of governance,” Kilabo said.

The project’s chairman, Safari Kilumo, said squatters had regrouped and formed the KiwandaniPrison squatters’ settlement scheme and appointed a committee tasked with spearheading talks between them and the government on efforts to have them settled on the land.

Kilumo said through consultations with area senior chief Athuman Matano, they were able to raise funds, which facilitated the hiring of a land surveyor.

He said the survey work has now been completed and squatters were now receiving their beacon certificates.

Kilumo said his committee, with support from the Kilifi county government, will now embark on the next stage, which is to enable the squatters get letters of offer for the land as they await title deeds to declare them official land owners.

“My squatter committee has been working closely with the county government through the Executive Committee Member in charge of land, John Mazuri, and the project has been going on well,” he said.

IDLE LAND

Chief Matano who attended the meeting to issue  the beacon certificates to the squatters, confirmed that the land had initially been proposed for the construction of Kilifi Show Ground.

Matano said it took the government a long time to invest in the project and the idle land attracted squatters who moved in and built residential houses.

The chief said there are too many people living as squatters in Kilifi. He appealed to the county government to look into ways of allocating them land permanently.

The administrator said there are a number of squatter committees, established in the location fighting for recognition by the government, that are working to settle squatters on the lands they are occupying.

Matano said some of these committees include Mabirikani, Mtaani-Kisumu Ndogo, Ukombozi, Mibuyu Saba, Kalolo Baya and Magonzi.

The chief, however, cautioned squatters against invading private land and advised them to consult government officials when they want to pursue land issues.