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Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome has warned those encroaching on public land that they will they will be prosecuted and the land recovered.

 She said it doesn’t matter how long the land has been grabbed, adding the government will recover its land.

 “It doesn’t matter how long it will take, but the land will be recovered,” the CS said at Manguo wetland in Nyahururu, Laikipia County.

 She said the grabbers have become bold and are even grabbing land belonging to police stations.

Wahome was in Laikipia for her monthly tree planting duty. She has been assigned tree planting in Laikipia and Nyeri counties as part of the 15 billion trees planting programme.

The CS warned government officials and those involved in the preparation of fake title deeds that their days are numbered.

She said the fake documents are used to harass rightful landowners and at times dispossessing them of the land.

She said the government was issuing schools with title deeds to protect them from grabbing. She directed all land registrars to help learning institutions get title deeds.

Wahome said her ministry is supposed to issue 400,000 title deeds this financial year as part of her performance contract.

On E-citizen services, Wahome said the system has fast-tracked the services, adding the number of services on the system has risen from 300 to 20,000 in the last two years, increasing revenue collection from Sh80 million daily to 800 million.

On affordable housing, Wahome said 995 units are being constructed in Nyahururu and will be ready by February next year.

She urged the residents to be patient with the government as it tries to fix the teething problems facing the Social Health Authority (SHA), adding that the government has good intentions to ensure universal health coverage is achieved.

On tree planting, Wahome urged residents to up their game by planting trees on their private land.

She stressed the need to protect and nurture the trees being planted to ensure they grow to maturity. She warned livestock owners to ensure their animals “don’t touch the trees.”

Laikipia County Commissioner Onesmus Kyatha called upon the residents to register with Taifa Care which is at 19 per cent, adding that the process is slowing down in the county.