President William Ruto has announced an intensified government effort to address the long-standing squatter and land ownership challenges affecting communities in Kenya’s Coast region.
Speaking in Kibaoni, Lunga Lunga Constituency, Ruto said the government had issued 26,000 title deeds to residents of Lunga Lunga, Mwereni, Kanana, Mkono wa Ndugu, Gombato and Anzwani ranches.
The title deeds form part of more than 94,000 documents that have been prepared for distribution to residents across Kwale County.
Ruto said the latest issuance was part of a wider Coast-wide land titling programme aimed at resolving disputes and insecurity of tenure that have affected communities for decades.
According to the president, the government will issue 300,000 title deeds across the Coast region this week, with the target rising to 500,000 title deeds by December 2026.
The initiative follows Ruto’s 2022 campaign commitment to address the historical land question at the Coast, which he said had contributed to insecurity of tenure, conflicts, poverty and loss of lives for more than six decades.
He said the National Land Titling Programme had already facilitated the issuance of one million title deeds countrywide.
Ruto said the government’s broader objective was to ensure Kenyans could own and use land without the fear of eviction or uncertainty that had affected families for generations.
He added that the programme was also intended to address historical land injustices while giving residents the security and economic benefits associated with formal land ownership.