Elgeyo Marakwet County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of lands Thomas Maiyo has called on communities who are yet to get title deeds for their land to support the county as it undertakes the registration and adjudication of the same.
Maiyo said once the community has been issued with a title deed, it will pave the way for clans, families and later individuals to get the document, which will enable them to undertake long-term development projects.
The CECM who was speaking to the press in his office in Iten noted that most of the land is currently not being put into proper use as people fear to undertake long-term projects. This, he pointed out, has affected the development of the Kerio Valley.
“In the current situation where the land still belongs to the community, an individual cannot undertake a project like irrigation or even mango farming because one may invest today only to be told to move tomorrow, as she/he doesn’t own the land,” he said.
He added that lack of title deeds was hindering investment in the area saying most organisations cannot invest in land which doesn’t have a title deed, adding that those ready to invest don’t know whom they can talk to or whom to compensate.
He said the county, in partnership with the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), had identified 39 parcels of land owned by the community in the lower parts of Tambach in Keiyo North and Sambirir in Marakwet East.
The CECM said 70% of the land in Keiyo South and Marakwet West had been registered and surveyed, saying residents were now waiting to be issued with title deeds, adding that they were now in the process of registering the remaining 30%.
“We are therefore calling on the Ministry of Lands under the national government to issue title deeds where the process is complete and also send the land registrar and the surveyor to conduct land adjudication for the remaining parcels of land,” he said.
Maiyo said the constitution recognises community land, which is land found in arid and semi-arid areas set aside by the community to conduct grazing, agriculture and any other activities identified by the community and is held in trust by the county government.
He therefore assured residents that the county government has the responsibility of ensuring that the community acquires title deeds for their land, saying such title deeds will be under the community’s name.
“The law also allows clans to get their own title from the mother title under the community all the way to an individual title,” he said.
By Alice Wanjiru
