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They said some certificates require holders to pay additional fees before the titles become complete, despite assurances during the issuance exercise that all charges had been paid.

“The title deed reads that it will only be completed when the fee is paid, but when they were being issued, we were told that the amount had been paid. These are titles that to us appear invalid, and as such we are surrendering them back,” said John Kassim, a Lungalunga resident.

Other residents said commercial banks had rejected the documents when they tried to use them to secure loans, with the institutions reportedly questioning their validity and value.

“We have lost hope in them. We expected that we could even use the title deeds to access arrangements like loans, but we cannot,” said resident Moses Makelele.

The residents said they were returning the documents so the government could correct the alleged errors before issuing the titles again. They also questioned the size of the plots, saying some allocations fell short of the land they had previously occupied and expected to own.

The complaints follow similar concerns raised weeks ago by another group of Kwale residents, who rejected title deeds issued under the government’s settlement programme. They said some beneficiaries received plots measuring 50 by 100 despite having occupied and cultivated much larger ancestral parcels.

Residents also raised concerns about land subdivision. They alleged that authorities had allocated some properties to several households as the population grew, leaving some original landowners without title deeds.

The disputes come after President William Ruto issued more than 94,000 title deeds in Kwale County in October as part of efforts to address longstanding land ownership and squatter challenges at the Coast. The exercise included more than 26,000 documents for residents of Lunga Lunga Constituency.

During the event, Ruto said the government aimed to issue 500,000 title deeds to beneficiaries across the Coast by the end of 2026, describing the programme as part of his commitment to resolving the region’s longstanding land issues.

The residents are now calling on the President to cancel the disputed certificates and return to the area to oversee the issuance of corrected title deeds that reflect what they say are their rightful land allocations.

They said some certificates require holders to pay additional fees before the titles become complete, despite assurances during the issuance exercise that all charges had been paid.

“The title deed reads that it will only be completed when the fee is paid, but when they were being issued, we were told that the amount had been paid. These are titles that to us appear invalid, and as such we are surrendering them back,” said John Kassim, a Lungalunga resident.

Other residents said commercial banks had rejected the documents when they tried to use them to secure loans, with the institutions reportedly questioning their validity and value.

“We have lost hope in them. We expected that we could even use the title deeds to access arrangements like loans, but we cannot,” said resident Moses Makelele.

The residents said they were returning the documents so the government could correct the alleged errors before issuing the titles again. They also questioned the size of the plots, saying some allocations fell short of the land they had previously occupied and expected to own.

The complaints follow similar concerns raised weeks ago by another group of Kwale residents, who rejected title deeds issued under the government’s settlement programme. They said some beneficiaries received plots measuring 50 by 100 despite having occupied and cultivated much larger ancestral parcels.

Residents also raised concerns about land subdivision. They alleged that authorities had allocated some properties to several households as the population grew, leaving some original landowners without title deeds.

The disputes come after President William Ruto issued more than 94,000 title deeds in Kwale County in October as part of efforts to address longstanding land ownership and squatter challenges at the Coast. The exercise included more than 26,000 documents for residents of Lunga Lunga Constituency.

During the event, Ruto said the government aimed to issue 500,000 title deeds to beneficiaries across the Coast by the end of 2026, describing the programme as part of his commitment to resolving the region’s longstanding land issues.

The residents are now calling on the President to cancel the disputed certificates and return to the area to oversee the issuance of corrected title deeds that reflect what they say are their rightful land allocations.

The four suspects appeared at the High Court at Kibera Law Courts on Monday, November 2, 2026. Detectives had asked to hold them for 15 days at Gigiri Police Station but were granted 10.

The suspects are Regina Wambui Macharia Gitao, Thandie Malaika Wanjiku Gitao, Immanuel Walgwe Munyeki, and Alton Jimmy Macharia. They are being investigated for murder under sections 203 and 204 of the Penal Code and have not been convicted.

In an application filed through the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, investigating officer Police Constable David Njoroge said Dorita Lasinder Macharia was found dead inside her home at Loresho Ridge Estate on the night of October 30. She had a deep cut on the left side of her neck, he told the court.

Njoroge said preliminary inquiries indicated that the deceased had argued with her granddaughter, Thandie, after allegedly finding her with her boyfriend, Alton, in the granddaughter’s bedroom. The elderly woman allegedly ordered Thandie to leave and hand over the room keys and asked several friends who were reportedly at the house to leave.

Police said the deceased later called her son, Jimmy, for help in evicting Thandie. Although Thandie initially left, she allegedly returned and remained in the house with her grandmother for about an hour.

Njoroge told the court that the deceased was later found in a pool of blood. He said Thandie then ran outside, shouting, “She is bleeding!” to friends waiting outside.

The four suspects were arrested at about 2am on October 31 and taken to Gigiri Police Station.

Detectives said they needed more time to review estate CCTV footage, conduct forensic examinations, collect fingerprints and mobile phone call records, and record statements from key witnesses. They also plan to arrange a postmortem examination and submit the investigation file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for directions.

The investigating officer said the suspects had indicated they might provide information leading to the arrest of other alleged accomplices who remain at large. Police argued that releasing them before the investigations were complete could hinder inquiries into the killing.

The court granted the detectives 10 days to continue their investigations.

The four suspects appeared at the High Court at Kibera Law Courts on Monday, November 2, 2026. Detectives had asked to hold them for 15 days at Gigiri Police Station but were granted 10.

The suspects are Regina Wambui Macharia Gitao, Thandie Malaika Wanjiku Gitao, Immanuel Walgwe Munyeki, and Alton Jimmy Macharia. They are being investigated for murder under sections 203 and 204 of the Penal Code and have not been convicted.

In an application filed through the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, investigating officer Police Constable David Njoroge said Dorita Lasinder Macharia was found dead inside her home at Loresho Ridge Estate on the night of October 30. She had a deep cut on the left side of her neck, he told the court.

Njoroge said preliminary inquiries indicated that the deceased had argued with her granddaughter, Thandie, after allegedly finding her with her boyfriend, Alton, in the granddaughter’s bedroom. The elderly woman allegedly ordered Thandie to leave and hand over the room keys and asked several friends who were reportedly at the house to leave.

Police said the deceased later called her son, Jimmy, for help in evicting Thandie. Although Thandie initially left, she allegedly returned and remained in the house with her grandmother for about an hour.

Njoroge told the court that the deceased was later found in a pool of blood. He said Thandie then ran outside, shouting, “She is bleeding!” to friends waiting outside.

The four suspects were arrested at about 2am on October 31 and taken to Gigiri Police Station.

Detectives said they needed more time to review estate CCTV footage, conduct forensic examinations, collect fingerprints and mobile phone call records, and record statements from key witnesses. They also plan to arrange a postmortem examination and submit the investigation file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for directions.

The investigating officer said the suspects had indicated they might provide information leading to the arrest of other alleged accomplices who remain at large. Police argued that releasing them before the investigations were complete could hinder inquiries into the killing.

The court granted the detectives 10 days to continue their investigations.