Thousands of residents in Mombasa continue to live as squatters on pieces of land whose owners often reappear decades after development has taken place, demanding the eviction of the residents.
The locals have struggled with issues such as undocumented land ownership, overlapping claims and a lack of proper land records, which often result in tension, disputes and stalled developments. Despite promises made during every election cycle, the matter has yet to be resolved.
In recent months, patience in the city has been wearing thin over the unfulfilled promises of both the national and county governments to resettle squatters. During the last election campaign, President William Ruto promised to buy land from absentee landlords to resettle squatters. Governor Abdulswamad Nassir made a similar promise .
Three years later, with the next general election approaching, locals have yet to see any benefits.
On November 1, 2023, President Ruto announced that the national government had set aside Sh1 billion to buy land from absentee landlords as part of a resettlement plan for the region. Despite this announcement being repeated in subsequent years, residents in areas such as Gandini, Maunguja, Kashani and Ugatuzi, all in Kisauni Constituency, are still living in fear of eviction.
Residents of Shanzu in Kisauni Constituency on August 19, 2025 protest against a planned eviction from a disputed parcel of land.
Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation
On February 21 this year, Dr Ruto assigned the responsibility of charting a way forward for implementing the plan across the Coast region to Cabinet Secretaries Hassan Joho (Mining and Blue Economy and Salim Mvurya (Sports), and Senate Speaker Amason Kingi. These three influential politicians from the Coast region, who are former governors of Mombasa, Kwale and Kilifi respectively, were tasked with identifying and vetting absentee landlords who should be compensated, in collaboration with the Lands CS, Alice Wahome.
“The biggest problem we have here in Coast is about land and squatters. We came to you (President Ruto) accompanied with Joho, Mvurya and Kingi and you assured us that you'll look for funds [so that] these three sit down together and sort out the matter. We're still hopeful,” Kisauni MP Rashid Bedzimba said last week at an event attended by the President in Mombasa.
Beyond public pronouncements, several protests have been held in recent weeks, demanding a lasting solution to the problem.
On Monday, Allen Katana, a Member of the County Assembly for Shanzu, was detained at Mombasa Central Police Station for leading a protest over a controversial land ownership issue in Kisauni sub-county. The police stated that the demonstrations were unlawful as prior notification had not been given.
Many other land ownership disputes have ended up in court, with absentee landlords often winning the cases. One major case was decided in July, when the Court of Appeal ruled that Zumzum Investment Limited, a private developer, was the legitimate owner of over 100 acres of land in Kiembeni, Kisauni sub-county.
This paved the way for the eviction of around 3,000 families who had claimed adverse possession of the land, with some stating that they had settled there since the 1970s.
President William Ruto (right) with other leaders in Kiembeni, Mombasa County on November 1, 2023, where he promised to resolve the perennial land injustices in the coastal region.
Photo credit: File | Nation
“Concerning the issue of land, we already have plans and a budget has been set aside in this financial year. We have 35,000 title deeds ready under this plan and we'll ensure that we sort out the issue the way as promised,” he said.
There has been persistent pressure on both the national and county governments to act, and the issue has taken a political turn locally, with some politicians being accused of inciting the public against the government.
According to Governor Nassir, significant progress has already been made in addressing the matter, and he urged politicians to refrain from politicising land issues. He said that the proposed Mombasa County Ardhi Fund Bill 2024 would provide the County Government with a framework to resolve historical land ownership issues in the port city.
Mr Nassir confirmed that, although some landowners in the county have title deeds, many residents are squatters. He noted that the bill will help resolve some of these issues once enacted. He also encouraged locals to use alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and to turn to the courts only as a last resort.
“We understand that land conflict continues to be a problem in Mombasa, but let’s try to resolve land issues through dialogue. Considering that in Mombasa Land Courts we have only three judges to clear more than 2,000 land dispute cases. Adding more cases will not resolve the matter any time soon,” he said.
The governor has often urged leaders to adopt a consultative approach when handling such sensitive issues, warning that politicising the matter could threaten social unity and integration.
