Kilifi Land Dispute Forces Eviction of 1,401 Families

1,401 families in Maweni Mtwapa Settlement Scheme in Kilifi were on December 3 evicted from their land as a land dispute rages on in the area.

The squabble over the parcel of land, believed to be over 161 acres, is between the residents and rich influential people who they accuse of seeking to grab the land.

The residents argue that the land was mapped out in 2018 through the Maweni Settlement Initiative and a directive was issued to provide them with title deeds but only 15 out of 1,401 deeds were issued. Each beneficiary was to get a 50 x 100 plot.

It emerged that due process was not followed as some people were not allocated the right parcels with some not receiving letters of offer.

The presiding body, which was in charge of mapping the area at the time, was later disbanded and a new one was put in place. However, the residents claim the new body enacted was made up of local politicians who they accuse of causing the current land situation.

Consequently, the aggrieved land owners went to court seeking conservatory orders to halt the issuance of the title deeds citing an alleged illegal land titling process that saw strangers and non-locals allocated land parcels.

The residents got their wish as High Court Judge Chacha Mwita issued conservatory orders restraining the Ministry of Lands, National Land Commission, Kilifi County Lands and Settlements Officer, Kilifi Land Registrar, and the County Government of Kilifi from interfering with the land.

The disputes have resulted in skirmishes that recently caused the death of a youth from the area. Human rights organizations have raised their concern over the issue urging the relevant authorities to look into the matter.

“We are suffering. Our youth are suffering. We are being forced to look for other places to rent after the eviction. We want to request the government to come in and assist us,” one of the residents decried.

The latest development seems to go against former Lands Cabinet Secretary Zachariah Njeru’s commitment to find a lasting solution to the settlement scheme that has been subject to controversy for decades.

The CS had pledged to solve the problem of cartels who were notorious for evicting poor locals using forged documents.

It remains unclear what will happen to the evicted residents as they ponder their next steps.