By Sharon Kiburi
Mombasa County, Kenya: Controversy surrounds Muduba Beach’s landing site in Mombasa County after locals accused a private investor of grabbing their land.
The brewing conflict is between fishermen, small retail business people, and the beachfront Investors’ Fayaz bakery.
Locals say that the landing site has been a free public land for over fifty years. The president on 19/11/2018 gave a decree that the landing site should remain as fishermen’s ground of operation that they should be issued with title deeds. Landing sites are a devolved unit that is under the director of the fishery of the county of Mombasa.
“We have been denied access to the landing site, we get accused of trespassing.” claimed members of the Madubaha Beach landing sites self-help group. Saidi Hamisi Kazi Nzuri a fisherman and a former employee at Fayaz Bakery resides in the landing sites and has been given an eviction notice from the property.
“ Since this disagreement began, I have been harassed by the police and my family, and I was denied access to the public toilets built by Mohamed Khansia.” Lamented Saidi.
“ My family has been fishing for a long time, I grew up in the sea and this area has also been landing sites as far as I can remember. The landing site is convenient since it is near home and it provides space for parking our boats” said Azizi Sulaman.
“The presidential order has taken too long to be in effect and hence beach front investors have taken matters into their own hands harassing fishermen and business persons at the landing sites accusing them of trespassing.” Said Mercy Wasai Mghanga, Chairperson of the beach management unit network (BMU) Mombasa County.
She expresses her concerns over the injustice affecting fishers at ‘Muduba Beach Landing Site Self Help Group’ and retail business people. Mghanga notes how there were clearly indicated and marked landing sites that are meant to be free space.
There is an ongoing case in court in one of the main Mombasa’s landing sites that has been used by fishermen for more than fifty years caused conflict between a beachfront investor who claims it is his seafront.
Mohamed Khansia Beachfront investor and owner of Fayaz Bakery responded to the allegations saying, “I bought this property back in 2008, and I have been paying revenue to the county of Mombasa,”
Khansia insists that he wants to eliminate the shoddy business that goes around the area by building a mosque and a publication recreational center that will be beneficial to all as approved by the construction body.
“I intend to improve the area for the good of the community and I do not understand why the BMU people are fighting me when I have the documentation that proves I own the land,” Said Khansia. Khansia views this as a targeted political hunt.
Both parties now await the land’s survey report that was conducted after the case was taken to the court.
“We hope that we get justice through the court ruling so that we can help identify landing sites as they previously were and give the fishermen a place to anchor their boasts and conduct trade,” said Mghanga.
Landing sites are areas to the fore of beachfront investors on the ocean shore where fishers unpack their boats and sometimes make sales after long periods of being in the sea. The landing sites are known to provide markets and opportunities for small businesses especially for women to make a living.
