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The battle over land ownership following the closure of Base Titanium is intensifying.

Base Titanium in Kwale county is set to cease operations by the end of December, due to depletion of mineral deposits.

The company has been extracting zircon, rutile and ilmenite, key minerals used in the aerospace industry.

Surrounding communities are demanding that the land be returned to them.

The national government has stated the land will revert to state ownership.

The state unveiled a committee for Post Mining Land Use (PMLU) earlier this year to collect community views.

Led by Martin Musyoka, members of the mining-affected communities have expressed their desire to use the land for development projects.

Musyoka said that although the community was compensated and relocated, their lives were largely disrupted.

“We don’t want to subdivide the land, but rather to make good use of it through agribusiness and ecotourism,” said Musyoka

He said that the land is unsuitable for settlement due to the presence of dams and the Tailings Storage Facilities.

Another resident Benedeta Kilulu said it would be appropriate if the affected communities returned to their land.

She said many people who relocated to other areas are languishing in poverty since they left their fertile land and went to inferior ones.

Kilulu expressed concerns that if the government retains ownership of the land, the local communities may not benefit from it.

She warned that opportunistic politicians might scramble for the land, leaving out the affected communities.