Ngilu digs up 125,000 land files in clean-up

Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu while touring the coast regional lands registry at provincial headquarters on August 21, 2014. PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA |   NATION MEDIA GROUP.

In Summary

• The minister said after inspecting the registry that the government would issue individual titles to the occupants of the land and payment made to Mr Waitiki Kamau (Waitiki Farm owner).
• In Kwale County, the minister found 3,392 uncollected title deeds and retrieved 100 more titles meant for Makueni County.
• Two forged title deeds, 1,574 green cards, including 181 forged ones, were also recovered.

By NATION TEAM

A total of 125,574 land files that had been missing in Mombasa and Kilifi have been retrieved in a three-week clean-up of the registry.

The missing files had delayed many land cases in the region, according to Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu.

The minister, who spoke in Mombasa on Thursday, also announced that squatters on the controversial 930-acre Waitiki Farm would be given land and issued with title deeds.

“Negotiations between the government and the Waitiki Farm owner are on and the issue would be settled by November,” Mrs Ngilu said.

The minister said after inspecting the registry that the government would issue individual titles to the occupants of the land and payment made to Mr Waitiki Kamau (Waitiki Farm owner).

Mr Kamau was ejected from the farm by squatters decades ago.

“I will return to the coast region to ensure the Waitiki Farm issue is resolved by November this year,” Mrs Ngilu said.

She said 38,574 files that had been missing were recovered by ministry officials at the Mombasa Land Registry during the “reorganisation” exercise, bringing the total number of title deeds in Mombasa County to 115,909.

MINORS ALLOCATED LAND

“There are also 15 cases in which minors had been allocated land. The government will not hesitate to cancel such titles.”

The missing files had delayed about 7,000 cases.

In Kilifi, 87,000 files and 30,000 land correspondence letters were found.

“We have discovered many files that were not accounted for. However, after our clean-up exercise, we retrieved 87,000 files and 30,000 land correspondence letters. The exercise was a success and we hope the files will be of help to our officers as they serve Kenyans.

“From here, we shall head to Narok and the rest of the regions we have not reached. This is national programme that will see all land transactions digitised to ensure accountability.”

Mrs Ngilu said the issue of Chembe Kibabamche and Madeteni settlement schemes, which have been under a government embargo since 1986 due to controversies relating to allocations, would be addressed soon.

“I have already spoken with Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi over it,” the minister said.

UNCOLLECTED TITLE DEEDS

“I have consulted with the governor and we shall soon decide on the way forward over the two schemes. We know there have been some problems but we will address them.”

Mrs Ngilu told off the opposition leaders for being against the issuance of title deeds by government.

“Why do people feel bad when we are working? It is very unfortunate that some are branding my efforts as taking the duty of a clerical officer. Yes, I am but again if a Kenyan gets his or her land, where is the problem?” she asked.

In Kwale County, the minister found 3,392 uncollected title deeds and retrieved 100 more titles meant for Makueni County. Two forged title deeds, 1,574 green cards, including 181 forged ones, were also recovered.

“The total number of uncollected title deeds is from different sections and I therefore want to ask people who have not collected their title deeds to come forward.”

Cases of double allocation were also discovered.

“My office will do a thorough audit of all land allocations, including some that were given to children who do not have national identity cards,” Ngilu said.

DIGITIZATION PROCESS

“In Mombasa, we have had digital equipment in the registry that has been wrapped in nylon paper for the last four years. It has never been opened but it has to be used now in the digitisation process,” she added.

She dismissed claims by the opposition that she intended to revoke the 99-year leases.

Mrs Ngilu said there were laws guiding such land whose leases had expired and she would adhere to the laws.

“After their expiry, the owners apply for extension of the leases. The government looks at land usage and the same person is issued with the title, afresh,” the minister said.

However, in cases where the land was not used well during the lease period, the owner would be asked to surrender the title to the government and the land transferred to another user.

The minister also dismissed accusations that she was taking over the work of the National Lands Commission.

“Let Kenyans judge the outcome of my work. We know that some politicians and government officers want to spend a lot of time in conferences and not delivering service. When change comes they don’t want to accept.”

She said 74 surveyors had been sent to Lamu County ahead of the issuance of title deeds.

Reports by Bozo Jenje, Kazungu Samuel and Farouk Mwabege