More than 800 residents of Ndau Island in Lamu County say they were omitted from a recent land‑ownership exercise intended to formalise titles for families displaced during the Shifta war.

Sheikh Mohamed Bwana Edhwa, chair of the residents’ committee, noted that 1,968 title deeds have been issued but hundreds of eligible locals have not received any documents.

The committee alleges that genuine farmers were excluded while outsiders obtained parcels, some receiving five to ten acres whereas others were allocated an acre or less, without an explained criteria.

Residents plan to lodge formal complaints with Lamu Governor Issa Timamy and County Executive for Lands Tashrifa Mohamed, urging a review of the beneficiary list and cancellation of irregular allocations.

They also question why the allocation proceeded with limited public participation, noting that more than 400 acres were earmarked for government use.

The title‑deed issuance is meant to settle families displaced between 1963 and 1967, when the Shifta conflict forced residents from mainland villages such as Kiunga, Ishakani and Mkokoni to seek refuge on islands like Ndau.

President William Ruto handed out 20,189 title deeds across Lamu on 3 October and pledged to return in December for further issuances, but the Ndau community says the current process has not addressed their claims.