Governor Khaemba asks Trans Nzoia residents to stage protests over lack of title deeds
Trans Nzoia County Governor Patrick Khaemba now wants residents to stage demonstrations in a bid to compel the national government to process their land title deeds.
Speaking at Kitale National Museum, where he unveiled his ten-year legacy report, Khaemba said the national government derailed his plan to have residents issued title deeds before his term expires in August.
“When we came to office in 2013, only 45 per cent of Trans Nzoia people had title deeds. Through my intervention, we facilitated and processed 88,000 title deeds in partnership with the national government,” Khaemba said.
The second-term governor accused the national government of using the document as a campaign tool.
“Before the 2017 elections, the national government issued 20,000 titles to woo our people to vote for the Jubilee administration, after that I have visited the President three times and the ministry of land for times but no titles have been issued, I am not inciting you to demonstrate demanding for your right ” Khaemba challenged the locals.
Khaemba said his government had set aside Ksh30 million for land survey works but after the process was concluded, the government sidelined him in the issuance of the documents.
According to Khaemba, the lack of title deeds poses an economic challenge to the people of Trans Nzoia county.
“Imagine an old man in the village bought land fifty five years ago, he has left the land for his children, who are all occupying the land which has not been surveyed, this is even a security problem, our people cannot access bank loans for development, and this stupidity must stop,” a visibly angry Khaemba lamented.
Khaemba asks national government to return prison land
He also asked the national government to surrender 159 acres of land owned by the Kenya Prisons Services in Kitale to his county government for expansion of Kitale town.
“In 2017, President Uhuru Kenyatta promised to give us 159 acres of Kitale Medium prison, he is soon going to exit the State House but the land has not been given to us,” he added.
