President Ruto’s Kwale Title Deeds Spark Resident Rejection Over Ancestral Land Sizes

Residents of Kwale County have rejected title deeds issued by the government, saying the parcels are smaller than the ancestral land their families have occupied for generations.

The rejection follows President William Ruto’s recent tour of the Coast region where he handed over more than 26,000 title deeds at Kibaoni in Lunga Lunga sub-county and announced a plan to issue 500,000 deeds across the Coast by year-end, after earlier issuing over 94,000 deeds in Kwale a week earlier.

Community leader Buda Mbwana of Anzwani village said the deeds do not reflect reality, noting that some beneficiaries received plots as small as 50 by 100 feet despite their families historically holding larger parcels.

Dala Enea of Gazi Township accused the government of treating long-standing families as squatters, pointing out that many of the new titles cover less than a quarter of an acre.

Ms Mwatime Ali, also from Anzwani, described the adjudication process as flawed, alleging that some parcels were allocated to more than three individuals and that surveyors ignored traditional boundaries, creating new, smaller divisions.

Residents claim that 75 percent of those allocated land have not received title deeds and that original landowners remain without documentation, adding that the population in the area has risen from about 900 to over 2,000, increasing pressure on the limited parcels.

The community has called on the government to suspend the disputed titles, conduct a fresh verification of land ownership and consult affected residents to ensure ancestral boundaries are respected before issuing new deeds.

President Ruto, during the title handover, reminded listeners that he promised a solution to the Coast land question when he sought votes in 2022 and said the current effort demonstrates that promise.

Residents also said they have banned local leaders over the land allocation challenges and appealed directly to President Ruto to intervene and resolve the disputes.