The Lands Ministry is in the process of profiling land buying companies in the country with the aim of flushing out conmen and bringing sanity in land transactions.
The Lands Cabinet Secretary (CS), Faridah Karoney said they are working with the Interior Ministry to have the fraudulent companies closed down and their owners arrested and face the law.
Speaking after opening a Lands Registry in Ruiru, Kiambu County on Wednesday, the CS said all land companies will be required to produce title deeds of the pieces of land they intend to sell, show their membership, office location and location of the land they intend to sell.
Karoney blamed the companies for conmenship in land deals, double allocation of land and issuance of fake title deeds, the main challenges around land transactions.
She called on Kenyans to be alert when entering into land deals by avoiding brokers and working with transparent companies.
The CS at the same time, said they are working towards digitizing land records to reduce fraud, noting that some registries especially in Nairobi and surrounding areas will be fully automated from next year.
The automation would enhance transparency and restore sanity in land transaction and property ownership. Processes that will be automated include land search, transfer of ownership or lease, and issuance of consent and valuation requests.
“Conmen in land deals is at a higher level and Kenyans should be alert. This can be achieved by avoiding brokers and rogue land buying companies. Issues of double allocation and issuance of fake title deeds are also a concern which the Ministry is working on,” she said.
She was accompanied by Lands Chief Administrative Secretary, Gideon Mung’aro, Kiambu Governor, Ferdinand Waititu and MPs Moses Kuria (Gatundu South), Jane Kihara (Naivasha) and Simon King’ara (Ruiru).
Waititu said the prime nature of land in Ruiru and Juja Constituencies has transformed the area into the bed-rock of land fraud in the country.
He said the new office would bring services of land transactions closer and would be a relief to residents who used to travel to Thika to get title deeds or lodge land complaints.
The MPs called for more registries to be opened in the area particularly Limuru to address land fraud and bring services closer to the people.
The fully equipped registry whose construction was commenced two years ago will serve at least 160, 000 land owners from Ruiru and some parts of Juja constituencies.
By Muoki Charles
