The surveying of Misri Informal Settlement in Limuru Municipality has commenced, bringing residents closer to securing formal ownership of land they have occupied for more than three decades.
The Department of Land, Housing, Physical Planning, and Municipalities in Kiambu County has begun detailed surveying, demarcation, beaconing, and cadastral work on approved parcels, a process expected to provide the technical foundation for processing title deeds for eligible landowners.
The exercise was led by Acting Director of Land Survey Andrew Nduati and brought together Limuru Municipal Manager Philip Mubea, Limuru East MCA Paul Macharia Wambui, popularly known as Kawabui, Area Chief Rosemary Gathoni Kamau, and representatives of the Settlement Executive Committee (SEC) and Grievance Redress Committee (GRC).
The engagement also sought to prepare residents and local leaders for the exercise and promote community participation during the verification and surveying process.
Macharia Wambui said the exercise marked a significant milestone for many families in Misri who have lived for years without formal documentation of their parcels.
“After 35 years of waiting, the journey towards securing our land ownership rights is taking a decisive step forward,” said Macharia.
He said the expectation was that eligible landowners would receive their title deeds by December, subject to completion of surveying, verification and other statutory processes.
The county government has allocated more than Sh25 million to facilitate the exercise, which is expected to establish accurate parcel boundaries and cadastral records required for formalizing land ownership.
“For the people of Misri, this is more than surveying land; it is about securing property rights, restoring hope, and giving families the confidence that their land ownership will finally be formally recognised,” he added.
Misri has been part of Kiambu County’s longer-term plans for land-tenure formalization. County planning documents have previously identified the settlement for title-deed processing, while infrastructure improvements have also been undertaken in the area under the Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project Phase Two.
County records indicate that the Misri Part Development Plans have been completed, paving the way for the issuance of title deeds to 470 beneficiaries.
The ongoing survey is expected to advance the formalization process for eligible parcels that are yet to receive ownership documents.
Once completed, the exercise will provide residents with officially established parcel boundaries and cadastral records, creating a basis for the subsequent processing and issuance of individual title deeds.
By Winjoy Makena
