Wajir county launches land verification exercise

Residents of Wajir have a reason to smile after the county initiated the process of land verification and authentication.

The initiative is designed to facilitate the issuance of allotment letters and title deeds, addressing persistent land ownership disputes. 

Through the Department of Lands, the county in collaboration with the EU/FAO funded Digital Land Governance Programme, will ensure the accuracy of land records and provide rightful landowners with legal documentation.

Saadia Ahmed, the County Executive for Lands and Housing said more than 5,000 residents are set to benefit from the two-month exercise.

“I want to encourage each and everyone to verify their plot ownership, a vital step in the submission of land details to the National Land Commission. This submission will pave the way for the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning to process and issue allotment letters and title deeds,” Ahmed said on Tuesday.

The CEC, who spoke at Wagberi, said the exercise will be expanded to cover 11 neighbouring areas within Wajir municipality, including Wagberi, Wagberi-Orahey, Halane, Jogoo, Barwaqo, Alimaow, Hodan, Township, Madina, Shalette and Got Rahma.

“This initiative underscores Governor Ahmed Abdullahi's commitment towards enhancing land management, resolving disputes and promoting sustainable development across the county,” she said.

Abdi Issack, the chief officer for Urban Development, disclosed that locals in need of land documentation have come out to register.

“This will be a big opportunity for the residents who never owned land titles and it will help to reduce long-standing land ownership disputes among other benefits to all who will get their documents processed with help of the National Land Commission,” he noted.

Beneficiaries are required to produce original identity cards, allotment letters from the defunct Wajir county council and a registration template or slip issued by the lands department, if any.

Locals welcomed the move, which they said was unprecedented.  

Abdi Alasow from Bulla Waberi - which was earmarked for the initiative - said this was a historic achievement as the majority of locals had never owned land legal documents.

“I am 65 years old and I have never seen what a land title deed looks like. This is an opportunity. The document will help us a lot as sometimes even the local courts demand for this document as a surety but we never had it,” he said.

A beneficiary from Bulla Jogoo in Wajir municipality, Fatuma Yussuf, said she was excited that she will eventually have a title deed.

“I can tell you that it's a dream come true for Wajir residents.  Almost 70 per cent of residents here never owned a land title because we all know how tedious the process of acquiring a title deed is,” she said.