The National Land Commission Chairman Mohamed Swazuri has taken stock of his achievement during his tenure saying he has nothing to regret about despite the recent controversies and corruption claims leveled against him.
Swazuri alongside his nine member land commissioners are set to exit the office on February 19 after their mandatory six-year term in the lands agency expires. He says he will exit the agency a clean and successful chairman.
The Swazuri led commission has had its own share of controversies and achievements at equal measure and Swazuri says the land agency has delivered millions of land problems in the country, amid constrains in resources.
According to the law, the President is required to declare a vacancy in the office of the chairperson and members within 14 days of the offices falling vacant but for Swazuri, he believes nobody will match his achievement.
Speaking in Mombasa’s Tononoka Social hall after meeting absentee landlords yesterday ,Swazuri praised his achievements as the lands chairman saying he has been able to tackle land challenges head on with a record of 2.62 million land cases being handled by the commission
“The reason why we are being fought is because we have achieved, if we had the resources we would have achieved much, people are not happy with a commission born the other day has achieved this successes,” said Swazuri.
He singled out Lamu County as one of the achievements he can boasts for having issued thousands of tittles at the lake Kenyatta settlement scheme as well as having facilitated at least 51 government projects which has stalled due to land challenges.
“When we started only nine people had tittles in lamu,and if you go to lamu now, every village has a tittles deed. Since we solved land issued Lamu has now opened up for multi billion investments,” said Swazuri.
He strongly believes that will exit the commission with a ‘clean and strong legacy’ saying those accusations leveled against him are just because of his good intention to solve the prerenial land problems in the country.
“Even if people say what they want, I am proud to have been the first chairman of the NLC and I have done my best with my commission on land matters in this country. Even if there are those who don’t want to hear that, it will always remain a fact,” Swazuri said.
Since last year the commission has been rocked by controversy over corruption, especially concerning land compensation during the construction of the Multi-Billion Standard Gauge Railway.
“Am very happy am satisfied because you cannot satisfy everybody in this country, other people will come and continue with the work. We have delivered over 2 million cases during my tenure,” he said.
In June 2018, investigations zeroed in on Swazuri over the controversial payment of Sh1.5 billion compensation for the controversial Ruaraka land.
The National Assembly committee on land recommended that Swazuri be investigated and possibly prosecuted even as the EACC confirmed it has separately recommended the prosecution of 25 officials over the saga after concluding its investigations.
During the meeting with absentee landlords of Mvita Swazuri directed that land owners and property owners to agree on a set standard of between sh 400-500 thousands market value between the two parties that they have been contesting.
The land is contested between Thousands of Mombasa Tenants and absentee landowners most of who are living in Oman.
“The parties are at liberty to negotiate between sh 400 to sh 500 thousand standard rate of land value to resolve perennial conflict,” said Swauri.
The national Land commission NCL has last year deployed land valuers at the ancient Mombasa town to evaluate prime pieces of land allegedly ‘owned’ by the Sultan of Oman descendants dating 500 years ago.
This is after more than 3,000 residents of Mwembe Kuku on Mombasa Island had sought the intervention of the National Land Commission (NLC) after the grandchildren of the Sultan of Oman asked them to move out of the land.