A section of Tiwi and Diani residents is calling for the nullification of over 1200 title deeds issued under the Diani Complex scheme and demanding a fresh adjudication process.
The residents claim that the scheme was hijacked by land grabbers who denied locals their ancestral land rights.
The disputed land is said to be 960 acres.
According to local resident Hamisi Juma Mwajao, 80 percent of the Diani Complex beneficiaries are non-residents.
“The Diani complex has cartels who are colluding with other people to steal land from the locals,” he said.
Mwajao added that despite the late President Daniel Arap Moi declaring the scheme illegal and ordering the land to be reallocated to locals, no action has been taken since then.
He said the residents have exhausted all legal avenues but have yet to find a solution to their grievances.
Mwajao lamented that despite court orders, land grabbers continue to develop disputed areas without facing any legal consequences.
He added that the situation has emboldened more unknown individuals to encroach on their ancestral land, knowing they can do so with impunity.
He further said that they have been labeled as members of extremist groups and intimidated simply for demanding justice.
The Tiwi residents said that they are law-abiding citizens who only want their ancestral lands restored.
Juma Abdallah Amri said that they don’t recognize the Diani Complex and all the title deeds must be recalled.
He said the locals have suffered for a long time and it is time they get justice.
Amri said the majority of Kwale residents are yet to experience true independence.
He decried that locals live in constant fear of eviction as new claimants emerge to take ownership of their ancestral land.
Amri added that it is unfair for land grabbers to be issued title deeds while longtime residents are rendered homeless.
He said most individuals claiming ownership of their land allege that they bought it from locals, yet they cannot identify the sellers.
Amri noted that some land grabbers are unfamiliar with the exact location of their property or their neighbors but still possess title deeds.
He said it is heartbreaking to see security agencies siding with the culprits, standing guard in the middle of the night as bulldozers demolish locals’ properties and leave them homeless.
Amri said they are angered by the injustice of locals following the law while land grabbers defy court orders and go unpunished.
“We are concerned. We are told to follow the law, yet land grabbers continue to break the same laws without facing any action,” he said.
He urged the government to fulfill its promise of ending proctracted land injustices.
Amri said the situation is worsening, and locals are running out of patience.
He added that many people have died after falling ill due to depression and trauma caused by land injustices.
Halima Mwabuda said the government must come to their aid, noting that it has been decades since they began demanding their rights.
She said that land injustices have left locals in poverty, with many losing their lifetime investments and land without any compensation.
Mwabuda urged the government to take action to end land injustices, warning that further provocation could threaten peace and harmony in the region.
Hussein Athman said land grabbing is a cancer that must be urgently addressed as it continues to deny locals their land rights.
He emphasized that ancestral land should be returned to the rightful owners and that locals must be issued title deeds.
However, the Kwale County government, through County Director of Public Communication Nicky Gitonga, said it is committed to addressing land injustices in partnership with relevant authorities.
He stated that several public lands have already been recovered, with more set to be returned to the community.
Gitonga added that some cases are still ongoing in court and assured residents that justice will be served.
He also noted that the county has forwarded some parcels of the disputed lands for consideration under President Ruto’s plan to resolve land injustices and purchase land to resettle squatters.
