President William Ruto has announced that the government will purchase land from absentee landlords and re-settle squatters along the Coast.
He revealed that he has tasked Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, alongside Cabinet Secretaries Alice Wahome (Lands), Hassan Joho (Mining), and Salim Mvurya (Sports), with identifying and vetting absentee landlords for compensation.
Speaking during the funeral service of Kingi's father, Kingi Mwaruwa Mkweha, at Kamale in Magarini Constituency, Kilifi County, President Ruto said: "We have made progress, and we now have money to pay off these absentee landlords." He noted that this is the first step in addressing the region's historical land issues, leaving thousands without ownership documents. "It will not be completed in one or two years, but we will deliver on our promise to largely sort out the squatter problem at the Coast," the President explained.
Further, President Ruto assured squatters in Kilifi County that the government is working to resolve ownership disputes over African Development Corporation (ADC) land in Magarini, and promised that they would receive title deeds later this year.