Digitization of documents at Murang’a lands registry is at 90 percent complete, the Lands Principal secretary, Nixon Korir has confirmed.
The process, Korir noted, is expected to be completed in a week’s time and be rolled out to members of the public so as to enable them access services at the registry through a digital platform.
Korir who toured Murang’a land’s registry to inspect the ongoing verification of uploaded records observed that out of 285, 000 documents at the registry, only 40,000 are yet to be uploaded in the system.
“What we are doing in Murang’a is what was done at Nairobi’s lands registry. Already digitization in Nairobi has been completed and rolled out and here in Murang’a the commissioning of the Ardhisaa portal will be done in one week’s time,” noted the PS.
He added members of the public will be required to open an account in the Ardhisasa portal so that they can do transactions online.
“Land transfer, application for title deeds, land registration among other services will be done online in the Ardhisasa portal. We will have a customer care desk here in Murang’a to assist members of the public in opening accounts in the portal as well as educate them on how to use the platform,” he said.
The PS underscored digitization of lands documents saying this will lock out unscrupulous individuals and cartels who interfere with registry to con people adding that cases of missing lands’ files, illegal transactions among other malpractices will be things of the past.
“The online platform will help the government deal with cartels who have perfected in carrying out dubious land transactions that have rendered hundreds of families to extreme poverty.
“As Nairobi and Murang’a lands services go digital, the Ministry is in process of digitizing registries in the counties of Isiolo, Marsabit, Lamu, Mombasa and Tana River,” said the PS.
Korir continued, “With the digitalization programme, the Ministry of lands has partnered with EACC and DCI to help arrest culprits who will be found interfering with the system with intent to defraud Kenyans,”
He added due to outdated maps among other documents, the digitization of the registries in all counties will take some more time.
The PS further confirmed the challenges that faced the system last year when it was launched in Nairobi have been ironed out thus the process of digitizing other registries will be smooth.
A local resident Njogu Kanyi from Maragua who was seeking services at the county registry lauded the reforms in the lands registry saying currently manipulations of documents have reduced.
Kanyi hoped the digitization of the lands services will ensure locals are not conned while doing lands’ transactions.
“Our hope is to see a seamless process in transacting matters concerning land. People have lost their money as they seek to get title deeds or being sold grabbed parcels of land,” he added.
By Bernard Munyao and Anita Omwenga
