President William Ruto has issued 26,000 title deeds to residents of Lunga Lunga Constituency in Kwale County, in a major push by the government to address longstanding land ownership disputes at the Coast.
The title deeds were issued to residents of Lunga Lunga, Mwereni, Kanana, Mkono wa Ndugu, Gombato and Anzwani ranches, according to Mining and Blue Economy Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya.
Mvurya said the issuance marked a new chapter for thousands of families who had lived on the land for generations without formal ownership documents.
He said the exercise would help address years of uncertainty over land ownership, including conflicts, threats of displacement and encroachment by private developers.
The 26,000 documents form part of more than 94,000 title deeds that the government has prepared for beneficiaries across Kwale County.
Nationally, the government has announced plans to issue more than 300,000 title deeds across the Coast region, with Kwale receiving the largest allocation in the latest exercise.
The latest issuance comes as the government intensifies efforts to resolve the Coast’s longstanding land question, which has involved historical settlement schemes, squatters, absentee landlords and residents who have occupied land for decades without formal documentation.
Earlier this year, Ruto issued more than 33,000 title deeds in the Coast region and pledged to address the insecurity of tenure affecting families living on ancestral and settlement land.
The government has said it is also negotiating with private landowners in areas affected by informal settlement, with compensation forming part of efforts to resolve disputes while protecting the rights of registered landowners.
The issuance of the documents is expected to give beneficiaries formal recognition of their ownership and greater security over land they have occupied for generations.
