President William Ruto has declared that his administration will not accede to demands by absentee landlords for billions of shillings in compensation for land designated for squatter resettlement in Mombasa, calling their claims 'prohibitive' and 'greedy.' Speaking at the Mama Ngina Waterfront Grounds in Mombasa County on Friday, Ruto issued 5,000 title deeds to residents of settlement schemes including Dongo Kundu, Waitiki, Mwakirunge, Mikindani, and Mafisini, marking a pivotal step in addressing the region’s long-standing land disputes. 'We will not give in to the greed of the few absentee landlords who continue to frustrate our efforts to resolve historical land injustices at the Coast,' he stated, vowing to protect squatters from evictions. 'You cannot blackmail us; we will not allow it.'
Ruto’s remarks came amid tensions over land rights, with absentee landlords using title deeds to evict residents and demand compensation. The president criticized the practice, questioning the legitimacy of some land titles and challenging holders to justify their acquisition. 'How did you get these titles? Explain how much you paid,' he said, urging transparency. He emphasized the government’s stance: 'We will not allow evictions from those lands,' linking the title-deed initiative to his 2022 campaign pledge to end the Coast’s colonial-era land question, which has left generations of residents as squatters. 'Our people at the Coast did not realize full freedom in 1963 when Kenya gained Independence because they were denied their land rights,' Ruto said, highlighting the historical context of the dispute.
The government has allocated Sh10 billion across three financial years (2023/24, 2024/25, 2025/26) to address the squatter problem, including compensating absentee landlords. Ruto announced that 300,000 residents in the Coast would transition from squatters to landowners this week, with plans to issue 500,000 title deeds by December. 'No one should ask you for a shilling; the title deeds are ready,' he said, framing the initiative as a fulfillment of his promise to 'end this challenge.' The program also includes deploying 300 land officers to expedite surveys and processing, with Ruto asserting, 'This is historical. I am very proud that from Monday this week, we started the process of issuing title deeds in this region.'
The president’s address included a Swahili statement, in which he warned: 'Kuna watu, mabwenyenye wajeuri ambao nimezungumza nao lakini kwa sababu ya madharau na kiburi wamekwama eti wanataka kuwafurusha wananchi kutoka kwa mashamba ambao wananchi kwa sasa. Wacha niwaeleze, nyinyi mabwenyenye, wajeuri na madharau chuma chenu kimotoni. Hamuwezi kusababisha watu wa pwani waendelee kuishi katika hali ya usquota na nyinyi mko na hati miliki mlizozipata kwa njia ambazo si za halali.'