[Source: Daily Nation, by Kalume Kazungu]
Over 300 families living in Mkondoni, Sina Mbio and Kalafuu villages in Hindi Division, Lamu West are living in fear of being evicted from their land after 15 moneyed tycoons, including one of German origin claimed to be the rightful owners of the land they live on.
The areas border the upcoming Sh2.5 trillion Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) Corridor project at Kililana in Lamu West.
There is an ongoing scramble for land located close to the Lapsset by tycoons and moneyed land grabbers who have been claiming ownership of local land. They come armed with title deeds suspected to be fake.
Most of the land in Lamu is yet to be demarcated or title deeds issued, making it an easy target for the grabbers.
Almost 60 percent of the land in the region is still listed as public land.
Speaking to journalists in their villages on Monday, the families called on the National Land Commission (NLC) and the county government of Lamu to intervene and help save over 700 acres of land from the grabbers by demarcating and issuing them with title deeds which they can then use as security.
Mkondoni Village Headman Hassan Chonde said they have lived on the land for over 20 years.
Mr Fredrick Mwangi said he is optimistic that the recent visit by Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and officials of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions will usher in a new dawn for them.
“I remember CS Matiang’i pledged to talk to Land CS Farida Karoney in order to completely deal with and eradicate land woes in Lamu County. We’re hoping justice will prevail for us. We’ve for long been withstanding all the mistreatment directed at us by the tycoons who are out to take away our ancestral land,” said Mr Mwangi.
[Full article: Daily Nation, by Kalume Kazungu]
