The National Government through the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning, has issued a total of 58,414 title deeds to residents of Migori County.
The initiative conducted by Migori County Commissioner, Mr Meru Mwangi, in a four-day exercise, saw 48,511 land owners from Nyatike Sub-County and other 9,903 from Kuria regions, get official validation to their lands.
Prior to the issuance, the government established the national titling centre and the rapid titling initiative under the national titling programme, with a keen focus on demarcating, surveying and issuance of titles to previously unregistered land.
Nationally, the allocation of immense resources to this programme has resulted in the issuance of over six (6) million title deeds in the last 9 years as compared to 5 million titles in the period, before and after independence, to the year 2013.
The Commissioner while giving out the title deeds stressed that the land document should be well protected upon its reception as it can be used as collateral when seeking funds for development projects.
Mr Mwangi added that the title deed document will also help in securing land for the future generation of the owner even in their absentia upon demise.
“This document will ensure your families have a place to call home once you pass on and no one will evacuate them. It is your responsibility to receive it and protect it at all cost for their sake,” urged the Commissioner while addressing the residents of Karungu division in Nyatike Sub-County.
The Commissioner also outlined the importance of residents being educated on the succession process which will hence make it easier when transferring land or changing ownership when the title deed bearer passes on.
In Migori County, the Government has achieved various milestones in land reforms. This included the completion of 61 adjudication sections, processing of a total number of title deeds – amounting to 85,853 and plans for future adjudication work to be carried out under the community land act [2016].
Dating back to the colonial and post-colonial periods, land transactions were processed manually creating room for document manipulation, loss of data, corruption and fraud. This mode of manual processing of transactions was fertile ground for malpractices in the land sector.
However, in 2013, the government introduced reforms in line with the e-government reform agenda. The Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning thus embarked on a digitalisation programme which entitled the development of the National land management information system, commonly referred to as Ardhisasa.
The Ardhisasa platform contains a digital cadastre and seamless integration of all Departments within the Ministry and other Government agencies such as the Kenya Revenue Authorities itax platform.
Ardhisasa is now fully deployed within Nairobi City County and is set to be rolled out in all counties countrywide.
The digital Ardhisasa portends several benefits to Mwananchi and investors include: Ease of doing business, Convenient, Fast and Secure land transactions, Reduction of land fraud and Security of the document.
By Polycarp Ochieng and George Agimba
