Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum Products Dr. Monica Juma has advised land owners in Kitui County to use title deeds to uplift their livelihoods.
The CS noted that, the ongoing nationwide distribution of title deeds is meant to empower land owners economically as the title deeds owners can use the vital document to obtain loans from financial institutions.
Dr. Juma made the advice today when he handed over a total of 20,400 title deeds to land owners in Kitui South and Kitui East constituencies in the County.
She commented president Uhuru Kenyatta for his initiatives on massive production of title deeds.
“During president Kenyatta ten years office tenure, a record of six million title deeds has been issued to land owners update across the country, unlike five million title deeds which had been issued earlier since the country gained independence” she said.
However the CS cautioned the land owners against misuse of the vital document that poses risk of rendering them landless.
“Let us use the title deeds wisely to spur development in our communities such as financial gains meant to improve our standards of living,”the Energy and Petroleum CS advised.
She lauded President Uhuru’s Manifesto on issuance of the title deeds to address historical injustice, recalling the president’s commitment and fulfillment of his promise he made to local residents on issuing them with title deeds during his presidential campaigns five years ago when he visited the county.
Dr. Juma further observed that the title deeds will offer solutions to numerous land grabbing cases and other related land conflicts.
The CS who was accompanied by the area County Commissioner Mr. Mbogai Rioba and his county security team directed the Deputy County Commissioners to offer safe custody of title deeds on behalf of land owners who might seek their services for the security of their vital document.
“I know there are some of you who, due to security reasons at your respective homes, you would like the safety of your title deeds guaranteed. I do advise you to hand them over to your respective Deputy County Commissioners for safe custody,” she advised the title deeds owners.
The CS launched the title deeds issuance yesterday in Mwingi Town saying that a total of 74,000 Title deeds will be handed over to their respective owners across the county in the next one week.
She said that the issuance of the vital document was free and that government had delivered the title deeds at their owners’ doorstep thus calling upon the local land owners whose land had been adjudicated to collect their title deeds from their respective area chiefs.