Members of Coast Women Power at Vipingo, Kilifi county on Saturday, November 18. [Photo/the-star.co.ke]
A group of Coast women is seeking for political good-will to enable the government to protect women from land grabbers after the death of their spouses.
Ms. Trevenia Mwamburi, the Malindi Chapter Human Rights Forum chairperson said the move is prompted by the increased number of windows that fall victims to land grabbers in Magarini Sub County.
Speaking during the presentation of their demands to the assembly committee of lands at Eden Roc Hotel at Malindi, she said empowering women with the right to own lands will reduce the number of squatters in the region.
“Some children end up landless after their mother is kicked out of a land following husband’s death due to the cultural practices thereby increasing the number of squatters in the community,” she added.
Ms. Mwamburi who led a delegate of about 100 women to champion for their rights also said there is a need for the local government to put in place measures to enable women to be involved during the selling of lands.
“Most women discover late that their husbands have sold their land cheaply to drink ‘mnazi’ palm wine and marry another wife, while youths buy motorbikes to operate bodaboda,” she said.
She also called upon the government to solve the issues of squatters in the region that has been caused by historical injustices, marginalisation and the high poverty rate among residents.
“I have seen a man selling about 10,000 acres of virgin and fertile land at a price of Sh3,000 per acre without the knowledge of his wives and the entire family later ends up being squatters,” she said.
Ms. Mwamburi also said the selling of land has increased poverty among the men and youths who end up being drug addicts and drunkards after selling lands.
Marafa MCA Stanley Kambi Karisa, the committee member, and a deputy speaker said they will prepare a bill to deter residents from selling their lands cheaply and ensure gender equity in matters of lands.
“The county has a duty to regulate its resources and land being one of the resources, the assembly has seen the need to regulate it in order to protect residents from losing their lands,” he said.
The legislator said there is also need to implement the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) report to enable residents to repossess their lands grabbed by land barons.
“We will use the right legal channel to push for its implementation in order to reduce issues of land squatters in the region,” he said and urged residents to stop selling lands.
Mr. Karisa said that land is a crucial resource in the development of place urged residents to begin involving women in the solving of land disputes and dealings to enable gender balance.