A section of residents in Kwale County on Tuesday surrendered title deeds issued to them by the national government barely five weeks ago, saying the documents appear defective and have brought them more trouble than security.

The landowners, mostly from Lunga Lunga Constituency, say some of the certificates state that they are incomplete until further fees are paid, even though residents were told during the issuance that the government had covered all costs. Others say commercial banks have declined to accept the new titles as collateral for loans.

"These are titles that to us appear invalid, and as such we are surrendering them back," said John Kassim, a Lunga Lunga resident, according to Kenyans.co.ke.

What residents are complaining about

The grievances, reported by Kenyans.co.ke and Pulse Kenya, fall into several groups:

  • Fees: some deeds indicate outstanding charges before they are considered complete.
  • Plot sizes: several families say they were allocated plots as small as 50 by 100 feet, far less than the land they have farmed for generations.
  • Shared parcels: some residents say single parcels were split among several households.
  • Missing names: some original occupants say they were left out of the register altogether.
  • Banks: beneficiaries say lenders questioned the legal standing and value of the documents.

The residents want President William Ruto to intervene personally, revoke the disputed certificates and order fresh, accurate titles that match the land they actually occupy.

A programme meant to end Coast land injustice

The titles were handed out on September 28 at Kibaoni in Lunga Lunga, where President Ruto launched his Coast tour by issuing more than 94,000 title deeds in Kwale, over 26,000 of them in Lunga Lunga alone. The government said it had set aside Sh10 billion for the exercise, and the President warned that nobody should ask residents for "even one shilling" to collect their documents.

The State has set a target of 500,000 titles across the Coast by the end of 2026, part of a long-promised push to resolve squatter problems and absentee-landlord claims in the region.

Not the first protest

Tuesday's surrender is the second public rejection in Kwale in a month. In early October, residents of Anzwani and Gazi told The Standard and Kenyans.co.ke that surveyors had ignored traditional boundaries and turned family farms into small plots. "We have shambas, not plots," one group leader said at the time.

The Ministry of Lands had not publicly responded to the latest complaints by Tuesday evening. The dispute adds pressure on a programme the government has presented as one of its flagship achievements at the Coast ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Photos: Eastleigh Voice/PCS; Pulse Kenya/PSCU. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.