County land management policy key in addressing land question

Residents in Jomvu Sub County have asked the county government of Mombasa to pass the county land management policy in a bid to address the land question in the area.

Speaking during a sensitization forum in Mombasa on Thursday John Paul Obonyo, a land and governance officer from Haki Yetu Organization says the locals point out that the bill touches on all the aspects of the land issue.

The forum dubbed ‘Housing For Who’ seeks to advocate for decent affordable and accessible housing to Mombasa county residents.

He noted that land is a thorny issue not only in Mombasa County but the country at large.

“The county land management policy is very critical in the land question in Jomvu Sub County. Should the county government pass the policy all the land matters will be solved,” he noted.

He explained that Mombasa County has a total of 72 informal settlements adding that 61 per cent of urban households in Kenya are informal settlements.

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 Obonyo added that there is a need for the government to guarantee her citizens safe, accessible and adequate housing.

“There is a need for citizens to participate actively in matters affecting the general public. It is also the responsibility of the government to ensure that it conducts public participation for any public project,” he pointed out.

At the same time, Jomvu Kuu ward members of county assembly Athman Shebe said land has been a big deal for most of the locals within the sub-county.

The MCA notes that most of the residents are still living as squatters in a land that they have been occupying for ages.

“Land is quite an issue in Jomvu Sub County. We have drawn a work plan. We have engaged the owner of plot number 228 and he has said he is ready to give out the land,” said the MCA.

He revealed that in the last financial year, the county allocated a total of 2.1 billion meant for purchasing land and settling the squatters.

Meanwhile, Eli Omucheyi, a person with a disability; the policies do not factor in PWD’s.

He points out that PWDs living in slums are the most affected lot.

“There is a need for the government to fully implement the 2010 constitution,” he noted.

Omucheyi further wants the government to put in place policies that favour people with disability.

He adds that most of the locals in Jomvu Sub County have not been sensitized on the land question.