Shanzu Ward MCA, Allen Rodgers Katana, was apprehended on Monday alongside five other activists in Mombasa while marching towards Governor Abdulswamad Sharrif's office.
The five were detained at Makadara while calling for swift resolutions in land disputes that have plagued the Kisauni area for ages.
According to police officers, the protesters were detained and held at the Central Police Station, as they lacked the licence required to picket.
"The Ardhi Fund was made into law, so we have been questioning why the matter is still pending. Why are they giving us false promises?" one activist quipped.
"We have invited the governor to two meetings in Shanzu, and he did not come. Just last week, we went to the Assembly and we did not see him."
Another called on the county government to commence land mapping in all sub-counties, as land grabbers were seizing the opportunity to grab public land by using fake power of attorney documents.
However, the county Deputy Governor Francis Thoya assured the protestors that the governor and the county government were working towards resolving the issues and urged the residents to abstain from protests in the meantime.
"We are not absconding with anything. One very clear thing is that Kisauni residents are struggling with land ownership issues, but these tussles are not helping anyone," he stated.
"These protests will not provide answers. Solutions can only be found if we sit down and discuss how to resolve this."
Land disputes are becoming the norm in the region, as this comes just days after a state land agency ruled that all investors who bought the 3000-acre farm owned by a private firm in Bamburi would have to pay for it again.
The National Lands Commission (NLC) committee on historical land injustices further ruled that all non-indigenous individuals shall pay up to Ksh500,000 for each of the 50m by 100m parcels, depending on their locations.
However, the indigenous squatters would be allocated a total of 300 acres free of charge.
