The National Government in collaboration with Nakuru County is set to issue title deeds to more than 2,000 residents of Rongai Sub-County after a 31-year wait as a way to end perennial land disputes in the devolved unit.
Principal Secretary for Lands and Physical Planning Nixon Korir emphasised the need for land owners within Banita Settlement Scheme in Soin Ward that comprises Kapsaga, Kongo Machine, Kiito, Kokwomoi, and Kimamoi A and B villages to get the land ownership documents.
“This is a positive move and a step forward in economic elevation of Nakuru County and in the appreciation of our land value,” stated Mr Korir.
He said the Ministry of Lands and the County administration were working to have the land adjudication completed in the Sub-County.
The Principal Secretary urged the residents to use the title deeds by empowering themselves economically, adding that the documents will now lead to appreciation of land in the region which will boost economic growth.
Speaking during a meeting with residents and top county officials at Banita, Mr Korir affirmed that the national and county government will speed up land adjudication in the Sub-County.
The event was graced by County Commissioner Loyford Kibaara, Rongai Member of Parliament Mr Paul Chebor, his Kuresoi North counterpart Mr Alfred Mutai, Nakuru Woman Representative Ms Lizza Chelule, County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Water, Environment, Energy, Climate Change and Natural Resources Dr Nelson Maara and Soin Ward Member of County Assembly Mr Dagaulle Naburuki.
The Principal Secretary cautioned the residents against disposing off their huge parcels of land at a throw away price and later remain landless after squandering all the money obtained from the sale of land.
County Commissioner Mr Kibaara challenged the locals to utilise their huge chunks of land wisely to plant crops like sunflower, pyrethrum, potatoes, maize, beans and peas that do well in the area.
“When you produce enough food for your family and sell the rest to earn an income, you will not have time to be incited to war by selfish people who thrive in crisis,” he said.
Mr Kibaara added “It is true the sale of land is between willing buyer and willing seller but it is also unacceptable for people to sell this precious resource and end up begging from those they sold their land to,”
He also called on the locals to utilise their lands in building commercial structures or use their land for farming to earn a decent livelihood.
“Why is it that other people from far away counties buy your land and develop to earn millions from it yet, you locals cannot do anything on your land that can earn your money? It is time we woke up and competed with other counties to develop our county,” he said.
Rongai Member of Parliament Mr Chebor pointed out that the distribution of the title deeds enabled residents to take advantage of the land ownership to develop their pieces of land.
He advised residents not to sell land to outsiders as it could easily lead them to being landless and live a poor life.
The title deed, he observed, is an important document that residents can use to take loans from financial institutions and improve their living standards.
“This document should be used to make you rich, not to bring poverty in your homestead. If you sell all your land, your children will be left landless and poor,” he warned.
Mr Chebor also challenged the residents to do productive business on the land to eliminate poverty in the society.
CECM for Lands, Physical Planning, Housing, and Urban Development Mr John Kihagi said he was optimistic that title deeds will now help check land grabbing and end land disputes adding land security will be ensured and disputes drastically reduced since owners will now have title deeds.
He appealed to residents who will get the documents to keep them in safe custody.
“To ensure transparency and thoroughness, committees representing each of the six villages have been formed to work alongside government officials in verifying land claims and protecting residents’ rights. This effort includes identifying and securing essential amenities, such as schools and markets, to benefit the entire community,” Mr Kihagi elaborated.
The CECM indicated that the initiative, spearheaded by Governor Susan Kihika’s administration in collaboration with the National Government, is focused on expediting land settlement while safeguarding essential public utilities within communities.
Mr Kihagi noted that the families from the six villages have suffered as they have been unable to access financial loans to develop their land since the 1980s due to lack of collateral.
“A title deed is not only proof of ownership but also a catalyst to economic empowerment as it can be used to get loans,” noted Mr Kihagi.
He said issuance of titles will offer security of land tenure that is pivotal in opening up the area for commercial ventures more precisely in real estate.
The CECM noted that the area has lagged behind owing to informal occupation of land by locals as they could not leverage on economic growth due to lack of relevant papers.
The region has turned into a slum due to the semi-permanent houses built there as the owners cannot construct permanent ones due to lack of ownership documents.
“Lack of development in Kapsaga, Kongo Machine, Kiito, Kokwomoi, and Kimamoi A and B villages is not only a disadvantage to Rongai residents only but was also a constraint in terms of growth to the county government,” he added.
Nakuru hosts numerous settlement schemes established shortly after independence. Until the late 1990s, a majority of the beneficiaries only held allotment letters.
Prolonged disputes and lack of proper organisational structure has remained a major challenge to the resident’s clamour for the legal documents that have the potential of transforming lives.
A team of officials from the county’s Lands Department and the National Lands Commission (NLC) has been formed to expedite the processing of the title deeds.
Mr Kihagi observed there were many petitions from residents whose continued stay on their respective parcels without the documents left them uncertain.
Among them is a petition from the disputed Ndabibi Farm residents who acquired it through purchase or as a retirement gift from Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) in the 1990s.
“There is a growing concern over the lack of security of tenure from residents. We are racing against time to unlock the backlog in title deeds issuance,” said the CECM.
Mr Kihagi indicated that due to many land cases pending in courts, the County government had trained mediators to help resolve the disputes and hasten the issuance of title deeds to residents.
He said most land cases can be solved through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms as opposed to filing court cases. This, he said, will ensure the ongoing titling programme benefits more residents.
Statistics from the courts in the region indicate that at least 50 percent of cases involve land.
Residents of the six villages narrated how they have looked for the vital documents in vain since the 1980s.
Mr Ezekiel Karanja said for a long time they felt neglected with no road or any meaningful development in the region, noting; “The roads are still the same as the colonists left them,”.
He said his title deed will enable him to develop his land as he moves towards economic liberation.
“From now, I will be able to develop my piece of land without fear because I own it,” added Karanja.
The residents expressed their satisfaction saying they will do large scale farming of tomatoes, bulb onions and garlic that do well in the area.
By Anne Mwale
