NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 5 – The government has promised to settle squatters residing in Mombasa, Kwale, and Kilifi counties across the coastal region starting 2025 in order to address the challenges of absentee landlords.
Speaking during the official opening of the Kilifi county international investment conference at Vipingo President Wiliam Ruto on Thursday stated that the numbers of squatters in those counties has surged hence the need for the government resettlement plan.
“I can proudly say that Kilifi is at the heart of our plan, when I was here, I made a commitment to the people of this county that we will also deal with the challenge of absentee landlords, because there are too many people who are living as Squatters. That journey has begun,” he revealed.
Ruto revealed that the government has already identified squatters residing in Gaza Village in Kwale, Judah in Kisauni, Mtangani and Kijiwe-tanga in Malindi as the first beneficiaries of the settlement plan during the first quarter period of 2025.
He stated that he has held engagement talks with the governors of the respective counties to deliberate on the issue of settling the squatters.
“We have already identified Gaza Village in Kwale, Judah area in Kisauni, Mtangani and Kijiwetanga in Malindi as the first beneficiaries of the resources we are going to use to buy land so that we can settle squatters and make sure that we drive the possibility of eliminating absentee landlords,” he said.
The Head of state said his government is also focusing on ensuring squatters from other region are settled peacefully
“I have an elaborate plan to make sure that we deliver on our commitment on making sure that we deal with the challenge of squatters in this coastal province as we deal with it elsewhere in the Republic of Kenya,” he assured.
In November last year President Ruto, while on a 5 days tour in the region pledged to resolve the emotive land issue at the coast.
Ruto said the national government has already set aside Sh1 billion that will be used to buy land from absentee landlords as part of a resettlement plan in the region.
“We have already set aside Sh1 billion in the STF (Settlement Trust Fund) that will be used to buy land from the absentee landlord so that we can resettle the landless,” said President Ruto .
Thousands of coast residents are living as squatters on parcels of land, whose owners are said to have relocated abroad or were allocated land before Kenya’s independence.
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