The Mombasa County Governor, Abdulswamad Nassir, has reiterated his commitment to finding lasting solutions to ensure landless residents receive title deeds.
Speaking at a county event on Sunday, September 13, 2025, Nassir acknowledged the challenges and frustrations faced by landless citizens in Mombasa.
He criticized leaders who, he said, use the land question at the Coast as a political tool to advance tribal agendas.
“If you see the suffering of a fellow human being and use it as an agenda for political gain, during the 2027 elections, where will you hide?” Nassir posed, adding that his goal is to distribute at least 30,000 title deeds to residents by 2027.
The governor noted that his administration is working with President William Ruto’s government to increase the number of title deeds issued.
“I will go around Mombasa County in areas including Nyali, Likoni, Mvita, Changamwe, and Kisauni, to ensure residents get title deeds that will benefit them and their families. All these will be possible if we work together,” he said.
He added that it was unfortunate some residents in the county, now in their sunset years, have been seeking title deeds for decades without success, calling on leaders in the region to work together to solve the problem.
"Let's work together so that the grandchildren of those who have been seeking title deeds do not become grandparents themselves while still waiting for the same titles," added the governor.
In February 2025, President Ruto reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to addressing historical land injustices at the Coast and ensuring squatters are resettled.
Ruto said his government had made arrangements to purchase land from absentee landlords in line with his pre-election pledge, bringing an end to the longstanding problem.
He said that squatters had long been denied the socio-economic benefits of land ownership and warned against individuals attempting to invade land in order to benefit from the programme.
“There are conmen and cartels. When they heard we are going to pay absentee landlords for those living there, they started invading the lands,” the President cautioned.
