By Alloys Musyoka
The national government, through the Ministry of Lands, has been urged to conduct a fresh survey of the disputed Mbuguni Settlement Scheme in Matuga constituency, Kwale County, to resolve a bitter eight-year conflict.
Over 2,000 residents claim a 2018 survey conducted by local land officials was deeply flawed, triggering widespread ownership controversies.
Rampant Allocations and Chaos
According to local resident Mwanasiti Jambia, the previous demarcation process was riddled with administrative errors. "In some shocking instances, up to six people were allocated a single two-acre plot to co-own. Others found their neighbors allocated to their land, or were assigned portions miles away from where they actually live," Jambia claimed, blaming local land registry officials for the mess.
Another resident, Mwaiwe Mwero, echoed these frustrations, pointing blame directly at the adjudication officials. He noted that peace would only return to the region if President William Ruto and local leaders resolved the land crisis once and for all ahead of the 2027 general election.
Senate Intervention Launched
The public outcry comes weeks after Kwale Nominated Senator Raphael Chimera petitioned the Senate to launch an immediate investigation into the scheme's administrative failures. Rising on the floor of the House under Standing Order 53(1), Senator Chimera sought a formal statement from the Senate Standing Committee on Land, Environment, and Natural Resources to address what he termed a crisis of "county-wide concern."
Meeting with agitated residents in Mteza Village, Senator Chimera agreed that the initial land adjudication was fundamentally broken. He urged the Ministry of Lands to intervene swiftly to map out holdings based on actual, physical occupation before the next election cycle. Former Tsimba MCA Swalehe Simba expressed optimism that the legislative push would finally restore order.
The Investigation Scope
The controversy centers on Mbuguni Settlement Scheme, located in Mteza Village, where legitimate property owners face potential displacement due to rampant double allocations by rogue land officials.
To address this, the Senate Lands Committee has been tasked with a comprehensive probe to: Audit original survey records to trace how overlapping title deeds and conflicting allotment letters were issued to multiple individuals for identical plots.
Investigate boundary discrepancies regarding the mismatch between official paperwork measurements and actual physical holdings occupied by residents.
Probe potential compensation fraud linked to local infrastructure and utility projects, demanding full transparency over multi-million-shilling funds disbursed to affected landowners in Kwale County.
The Senate Committee is now expected to compel local registries to surrender original survey documents to establish a framework that protects genuine landowners and ends years of tenure insecurity.