Members of the Saggaf family, Abubakar Muhammad, Aisha Hassan, Muhammad Saggaf, Thureya Tiro Somo and Fatma Abdallah, during an interview at the ‘Nation’ offices in Mombasa on Tuesday.
After close to five decades of waiting, a family that owns the largest part of Wasini Island in Kwale County has reclaimed its ancestral land valued at more than Sh3.9 billion
The land, measuring over 247 hectares, or about 610.4 acres, belongs to the Saggaf family , who are among the earliest settlers of the island.
On Wednesday last week, the government, through the Land Registrar, issued the family with a freehold title deed for the property, a document they had pursued for many years.
“I thank the government for making this happen. It has been a long journey that was begun by our family patriarch, Abdulrahman Saggaf Alawy, who first filed a case to reclaim the land from grabbers in 1979,” said family spokesperson, Muhammad Maula Saggaf.
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The Saggaf family migrated from Vumba Kuu, on the Kenya–Tanzania border, and settled on the some 400 years ago.
“That is why the family owns a large portion of the island. We were the early settlers,” Muhammad said.
He said he has pursued the matter for decades, appearing before no fewer than five commissions before finally securing restoration of ownership and the official documents.
Among them were the Saitoti Review Committee, the Njonjo Land Inquiry, the Ndung’u Land Commission, the Swazuri Commission and, most recently, the Gershon Otachi Commission, which finalised the process and paved the way for the family to regain their land.
The principal owners were Hassan Nassir, Muhammad Nassir and Ahmed Nassir, who held a land title ordinance dated 1908. This was recognised in 1969 by the then Recorder of Title, after Kenya attained independence from British rule.
“This property has drained me physically, emotionally and financially. I have made countless trips to Nairobi but at last, these have borne fruit,” Muhammad said.
Members of the Saggaf family, Abubakar Muhammad, Aisha Hassan, Muhammad Saggaf, Thureya Tiro Somo and Fatma Abdallah, during an interview at the ‘Nation’ offices in Mombasa on Tuesday.
As the Saggaf family celebrates, both foreign and local investors, who encroached on Wasini Island now under the family’s control, have a reason to worry. “For those who have built hotels, they will have to purchase the land at the current market rate or face eviction,” Muhammad said.
He appealed to the government to step in and buy portions of the land and resettle squatters currently living on the property.
“We do not intend to evict squatters who have built temporary structures on the land, but we are asking the government to buy the land and settle them. If not, we shall have no option but to evict them.”
To Muhammad, the restoration of ownership rights is not only a personal victory, but also a win for the original Wasini islanders who, for decades, have lived as squatters on their own ancestral land.
“We are appealing to both foreign and local investors to come and invest in Wasini Island,” he said, adding that most of the land (90 per cent) remains virgin territory. Only 10 percent has been encroached upon, said Muhammad.
The property borders the Kisite–Mpunguti Marine National Park and Reserve, one of Kenya’s premier marine attractions that is famous for dolphins, coral reefs and snorkelling and diving opportunities.
Its proximity to the planned Shimoni port and government-backed conservation and tourism projects further boosts its potential, attracting both domestic and international interest. The family’s long struggle has been marked by decades of dispossession. Although they own the 247 hectares, they were forced to live as squatters after the land was grabbed.
The National Land Commission (NLC) later acknowledged the Saggaf family as victims of historical injustice.
The land in question, originally registered as plot number W33/Kwale/Wasini, belonged to Saggaf Alawy and was inherited by his sons, Hassan, Mohamed and Ahmed.
However, rival claimants emerged, sparking a protracted dispute that ended in the High Court in Mombasa.
Following the judgment, the NLC ordered that the land be returned to them and directed the Chief Land Registrar to revoke any conflicting titles. A gazette notice of March 1, 2019 reaffirmed this, echoing an earlier cancellation notice of April 11, 1997.
Still, despite these rulings, the family remained excluded from their land for years by cartels working hand in glove with powerful government officials, who obstructed surveys and delayed issuance of the title deed.
Today, with the freehold title finally in their hands, the Saggaf family has restored their rightful claim to Wasini Island , closing a chapter of dispossession and opening another filled with opportunity for ownership and development by the over 60 heirs who have been waiting for decades.
