Residents question Ruto's NLC nominee over Wasini land feud
Coast
By
Patrick Beja
| Feb 22, 2026
Wasini residents raise concerns over President Ruto’s NLC nominee. [File, Standard]
A section of Wasini Island residents in Kwale are questioning the suitability of the man President William Ruto nominated to chair the National Land Commission (NLC).
The family of Dr Abdillahi Saggaf Alawy, who is awaiting vetting, has been entangled in a dispute over a 309-acre parcel of land on the island for more than 40 years. The government issued the Saggaf Alawy family a freehold title for the land, worth about Sh2 billion, after a court battle on September 10, last year.
“He is the elder son of Saggaf Alawy, and his family is embroiled in a land dispute with residents of Wasini Island. We ask MPs to question him on whether he can serve justice on this matter,” said Ali Mohamed.
Mohamed Maula Saggaf, Nassir Kiboga, Hassan Nassir, Mohamed Nassir and Ahmed Nassir represent the family.
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Residents now want MPs to question the nominee over the matter, wondering whether they would receive justice if he is appointed.
Contacted for comment, a close family member who preferred not to be named said Dr Abdillahi is not the administrator of the land.
“He has not been an administrator of the land and has not been involved in the dispute as an individual. The administrator is Mohamed Maula Saggaf,” he said.
Abdillahi, 62, is currently the chairman of the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC). He comes from the minority Vumba tribe in Kwale County, which has about 800 members. The community lives in Wasini, Jimbo, Pongwe and Vanga villages.
“This is the biggest government position given to a member of our tribe. None of our members has been appointed, even as a chief. We thank President Ruto for the nomination,” said the family member.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics, specialising in marketing and statistics, and a Master of Science in Agricultural Education.
Dr Abdillahi attended Wasini and Ramisi primary schools, Kwale High School, and Allidina Visram High School for A-levels before proceeding to Egerton University for his undergraduate studies and Ohio State University in the United States for his master’s and PhD degrees.
The NLC restored the land to the Saggaf Alawy family following a legal battle that began in 1981 after the property was irregularly subdivided into 87 plots.
The family once appeared before the NLC’s Committee on Historical Land Injustices to challenge influential individuals who had allocated themselves plots on the land.
"I have the honour to inform you that the National Land Commission, on behalf of the County Government of Kwale, hereby offers you a grant of the above parcel, subject to your formal written acceptance of the following conditions and to the payment of the charges prescribed hereunder," wrote Ms P. M. Kariuki of the NLC.
On August 8 last year, Ms Janet Orego wrote to the Mombasa Land Registrar, informing him that the necessary documents had been signed and stamped for registration of the land.
Joining Alawy on the NLC board are financial expert Susan Khakasa Oyatsi, Daniel Murithi Muriungi, Kigen Vincent Cheruiyot (former chairperson of the National Employment Authority), Dr Julie Ouma Oseko, an advocate and senior legal consultant, former Banisa MP Mohamed Abdi Haji Mohamed, and former Kajiado Women Representative Mary Yiane Seneta.