Hope for South Ngariama residents as titling process advances
Thousands of residents in the expansive South Ngariama land in Mwea Constituency, Kirinyaga County are set to be issued with title deeds as the Ministry of Lands kicks off the adjudication process.
This follows a court order issued by Justice John Mutungi sitting at Kerugoya Environment and Lands Court directing the ministry to resolve the disputes that had rocked the area for over three decades.
Kirinyaga County Commissioner Moses Ivuto and the County Executive Committee Member for Lands, Rev. Samuel Kanjobe on Thursday held a public engagement forum in the land where the residents were sensitized on the initiative. Ministry of lands officials who will be involved in the adjudication process were introduced to the residents and are expected to kick start the process in readiness for issuance of title deeds.
Assistant Director for Adjudication and Settlement in the Ministry of Lands, Ezekiel Kiania called on residents to support the initiative, as he pledged to oversee the process in a fair and transparent manner. “Our duty here is to ensure that the rightful owners get their title deeds, and to amicably resolve any arising issue, we urge for peace and patience as we seek a solution to this problem.” He said.
The CECM for lands, Rev. Kanjobe who represented Governor Anne Waiguru in the forum said that the County Government had no other interest than to ensure that the land matter was permanently settled. He urged residents to cooperate and ensure the process was successfully concluded adding that there was political goodwill to have the residents get their land ownership documents. He urged them to ignore the naysayers out to mislead them in order to derail the process.
During her inauguration ceremony held in Kutus, Governor Waiguru listed the issuance of South Ngariama title deeds as one of her key priorities during her current term. Residents hailed the County Government for keeping the pledge to solve the long standing issue.
