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A politician and cartels in Kwale county have been accused of working behind the scenes in the issuance of title deeds for the disputed Maji Ya Chumvi adjudication section.
The residents argued that dispite the matter pending in court the politician and cartels have pitched tent at Ardhi House in Nairobi to hasten the process of issuance of title deeds for the controversial 60,000 hectares at Maji Ya Chumvi sub location of Chengona location.
They asked the government to stop activities on the perrenially disputed land until all parties concerned come up with a permanent solution.
Led by East Africa Pentecostal Church [EAPC] Samburu Parish priest Rev Fredrick Kanato they petitioned President Uhuru Kenyatta to intervene in the matter.
Rev Kanato added they have established the politician and cartels are daily spotted at the lands ministry headquarters to expedite the process.
“We, the residents, have been patient and obedient to the law but now the patience is running out,” he pointed out.
They were addressing journalists at Samburu township along Nairobi and Mombasa highway in Kinango constituency.
The EAPC Samburu Parish priest cautioned the government they are tired and won’t wait any longer.
Kanato lashed out at the cartels for taking advantage of the locals and hijacking the process to delay the insurance of the title deeds and move to court.
He cited an instance where three of the clans on the disputed land, namely Mwayawa family, Mwamundu and Wachanda, were left out.
“We later discovered the cartels had moved to court and never included us in the land dispute,” he pointed out.
The local religious leader told journalists they opposed the controversial issuance of 400 title deeds on the disputed land.
Kanato urged the government to start the issuance of the title deeds afresh with the assistance of the local county administration.
He alleged the issuance of the previous 400 title deeds on the disputed land was hijacked by the cartels.
He said the cartels are expediting the process of issuance of title deeds to secure campaign funds ahead of the August polls.
In 2019 the residents from Maji Ya Chumvi sub location in Kwale county held a demonstration to petition the government to stop the issuance of 500 title deeds on the controversial parcel of land in the area.
Carrying placards and tree twigs along the busy Mombasa and Nairobi highway the residents accused private developers of being behind the push for the issuance of the title deeds to personally benefit.
They called on Lands Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney to intervene saying they have no faith with the 430 title deeds out 500 which the government announced were ready for issuance.
The residents petitioned the government to stop the issuance of 500 title deeds on the controversial parcel of land in the area.
Later the Lands Cabinet Secretary through a public notice in local dailies had said the government is committed to ensure every land owner gets their title deeds for their parcel of land.
The residents got a sigh of relief after the government halted the process of issuance of 500 title deeds on the controversial parcel of land in the area.
The residents had opposed the government move to issue 430 out of 500 title deeds on the controversial parcel of 60,000 hectares of land in the area alleging the exercise was a fraud.
At one stage a Parliamentary committee led by Rachael Nyamai and her vice chairperson Khatib Mwashetani were forced to cancel the sitting at Maji Ya Chumvi sub location at the eleventh hour after it emerged the residents were hostle and the meeting posed a security risk.