About 600 members of Naisoya area in Narok North Sub County have every reason to smile after the government processed the title deeds of their lands.
Speaking today in a public baraza held at Naisoya health center, Narok County Commissioner Evans Achoki said the government is committed to ensuring all the residents living in the area have title deeds for their land so that they can develop their pieces of land comfortably.
The commissioner observed that dispute among the members had derailed the process of demarcating the land and issuing title deeds.
“From today, I want people to live in peace and in case there is any problem with boundaries, then you should call the land registrar to establish the real boundary,” reiterated the commissioner.
The commissioner who was in the company of land officials, Maasai council of elders chairman Kelena Ole Nchoe and local member of county assembly James Kiok asked residents to respect land boundaries as put by the land surveyors and registrar, “as we want every person to live in peace”.
The land issue at Naisoya adjudication block arose back in 1990 when the Ntutu led Commission put boundaries of the forestland hence evicting people who had settled in 5, 700 hectares of forest land.
A portion of the residents have been protesting the move and despite filing a case in court demanding compensation, their petition was dismissed hence giving the land officials a go ahead to adjudicate the remaining 7, 500 hectares that they owned legally.
“If anyone is still dreaming of going back to the Forest land, he or she is completely lost because the government will never allow it. We are in the process of putting up an electrical fence around the forest in a bid to ensure no access to the forest,” said the commissioner.
The land that sits adjacent to Maasai Mau forest and is less than 30 kilometers far from Narok town is one of the major food baskets of the county as wheat, maize, beans and potatoes do well in the area.
Narok County land registrar Tom Chepkwesy said the title deeds is a big breakthrough to the residents of Naisoya who have for a long time been waiting for the important document.
He asked those with issues on their land to visit their offices free of charge begging them not to use brokers in a bid to resolve land issues.
At the same time, the land registrar observed that some people who were to benefit from the title deeds have passed on, asking the immediate beneficiaries to visit his office to change the names.
Chepkwesy said all the title deeds were given free of charge warning them not to entertain any person who asked for money for the title deed.
“This is the first application so we do not charge you anything, but in case anyone wants to sell the land or give it to his or her children, then they will be forced to incur some cost because they have to pay for the transactions,” he continued.
The land registrar asked residents to ensure all land public lands are safe guarded by reporting suspicious people found encroaching in such lands.
Narok Chamber of commerce chairman David Mpatiany lauded the land officials for the quick process of demarcating the land and processing title deeds for the residents.
by Ann Salaton
