Over 200,000 Title Deeds to Be Issued in Coast Region, Says Ruto

President William Ruto has announced a programme to issue more than 200,000 title deeds to over one million families in Kenya’s coastal region within three months, as part of efforts to address long-standing land disputes and landlessness.

The announcement was made on 21 May during the president’s five-day development tour of the Coast. Ruto directed the Ministry of Lands to begin immediate subdivision of land parcels to speed up the registration process. He said the government would measure and register land within 90 days before returning to issue the title deeds.

The programme is one of the largest attempts in recent decades to resolve land ownership problems in the coastal counties, where many families have lived as squatters since independence in 1963. Previous administrations struggled to address the issue amid claims of corruption, fraudulent land allocations and rising land prices linked to tourism and private development.

Ruto began the tour by issuing more than 35,000 title deeds in Mombasa County. The exercise will later extend to Tana River, Kwale, Kilifi, Malindi and Taita Taveta after the Ministry completes subdivision work. The president said the initiative would allow families that have occupied land for decades without ownership documents to gain legal rights to the property.

The government also announced infrastructure projects during the tour, including the purchase of two ferries valued at Ksh3 billion and Ksh5 billion. The ferries are expected to ease congestion at the Likoni and Mtongwe crossings, which serve thousands of commuters daily.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, speaking during a title deed issuance ceremony in Mombasa, said the Kenya Kwanza administration had moved from making promises to implementing solutions. He pointed to the return of port operations to Mombasa, the removal of vetting requirements for national identity cards and plans to expand the blue economy as examples of government action in the region.

Kindiki also said cooperation between leaders from different political parties had helped advance the reforms. He said leaders from the United Democratic Alliance, Orange Democratic Movement and other groups had worked together to negotiate with absentee landlords and support the land ownership programme.

He credited Coast leaders including Hassan Joho, Salim Mvurya and Amason Kingi for promoting dialogue in resolving land disputes. The reforms form part of a wider national effort to address land conflicts. Earlier this year, Ruto directed the Ministry of Lands to purchase 1,500 acres of disputed land in Narok County to settle communities involved in conflict over ownership.