County governments have been asked to enlist services of professionals to fast track adjudication of land in the country.
The Institution of Surveyors of Kenya (ISK) President Abraham Samoei said the land docket within the devolved units lacked professionals slowing down the reforms being undertaken in the sector.
Samoei said even though the 2010 constitution placed counties at the centre of land adjudication, very little has been done to enhance their capacity to play a critical role in the sector.
County governments, he said have failed to recruit professionals among them land surveyors, land valuers, building surveyors, geospatial surveyors and engineering surveyors adding to the challenges facing the sector in the country.
Through engaging land sector professionals, he said county governments were able to address the ballooning land disputes at the same time cover lost ground on revenue collections.
Land, he said, was a key resource capable of turning around fortunes for the devolved units through proper valuation to attract more revenue from land rates.
“Land taxation is an area that county governments have not taken advantage of. Through engaging land sector professionals, county governments can be able to reap big from the sector through land rates,” he said.
Speaking in Kisumu during the ISK Africa Regional Conference, Samoei challenged the county governments to partner with ISK to professionalise the sector and address existing gaps.
“We are ready and willing to work with the county governments to help build capacity and address the challenges facing the sector,” he said.
The event which kicked off on Thursday has attracted over 500 participants, including ISK members, government representatives, professional leaders, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), academicians and development partners.
Kisumu Governor Prof. Anyang Nyong’o who represented the Council of Governors at the event said counties were grappling with huge budget deficits making it difficult to engage the professionals.
“It is true that counties lack capacity but to engage these professionals is costly. County governments cannot afford to pay them,” he said.
On land rates, Nyong’o said most of the county governments were yet to operationalise new land valuation rolls making it difficult to charge new rates.
“In Kisumu, we developed a valuation roll which was passed by the County Assembly but somebody went to court and stopped its implementation,” Nyong’o said.
This, he said has dealt a blow on the county government’s push to meet revenue collection targets adding that it was unfortunate that the rates being charged were not commensurate to the value of some of the parcels of land in the area.
He called for partnerships with ISK and other partners to address the challenges and streamline operations in the sector.
Nyong’o who chairs the Council of Governors Urban Affairs, Land and Urban Planning Committee said a retreat has been planned where all sector players including government officials will meet to chart the way forward in addressing the existing challenges.
By Chris Mahandara
