President William Ruto will begin a development tour of Kenya’s Coast region on Saturday, with nearly 200,000 title deeds set to be issued to beneficiaries across six counties.
The tour will cover Taita-Taveta, Kwale, Kilifi, Mombasa, Tana River and Lamu, giving the President an opportunity to assess ongoing Government projects, commission completed projects, launch new initiatives and engage residents and local leaders on development priorities.
The title deeds are part of the Government’s broader plan to distribute 500,000 land ownership documents as it addresses longstanding squatter, land ownership and administrative challenges in the Coast region.
The distribution will include:
- Taita-Taveta: 31,318 title deeds
- Kwale: 94,175 title deeds
- Kilifi: 36,826 title deeds
- Mombasa: 4,360 title deeds
- Lamu & Tana River: 22,770 title deeds
For thousands of families, the documents will provide formal recognition of land ownership, greater security of tenure and an opportunity to use their land more effectively for economic activities and investment.
A major highlight of the tour will be in Lamu, where President Ruto is expected to break ground for the proposed East Africa Refinery, a project estimated at $16 billion (about KSh2 trillion) and expected to be jointly undertaken by the Kenyan Government and Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote.
The refinery is projected to process crude from Lokichar in Turkana County, supply petroleum products to markets across East and Central Africa, strengthen Kenya’s energy security and create more than 500,000 jobs.
From land ownership to energy security, infrastructure and jobs, the Coast tour will place development and economic opportunity at the centre of the Government’s agenda.