Nyamira residents have been advised to initiate land succession processes at the courts so that they could be able to legally own land which has become highly coveted and zealously fought for in the region.
Nyamira County Deputy Land Registrar George Maina told KNA in an interview that many residents in Nyamira want to sell land belonging to their deceased parents and grandparents, a scenario that has brought endless conflicts and tussles between involved family members.
“Diminishing land sizes in the larger densely populated Gusii region has compelled many residents to jealously guard their land pieces for fear that a section of unscrupulous family members will secretly grab it for personal economic gain either by selling or developing it without consent from all family members,” explained Maina.
“It’s because of these endless squabbles that the Lands’ office strongly advocates to all those who have not done land succession of their deceased relatives to initiate it soonest to enable each family member legally own their piece of land and make personal decisions on what to do with it without any interference from fellow family members,” he added.
The officer revealed that in Nyamira County, they have over 500 title deeds which are under caution due to diverse vested interests by disagreeing family members over how their deceased parent’s or grandparent’s piece of land should be subdivided amongst all the interested parties, before further development on the contested land is commenced.
He further pointed out that their office has hundreds of title deeds whose owners are deceased but left dependents who have tirelessly fought over temporal boundary demarcations yet they do not want to initiate the recommended legal succession process which would settle their devastating land wrangles once and for all.
“When Former President Uhuru Kenyatta directed all processed title deeds to be issued to owners in July this year, it was difficult for us to issue most of the processed titles in our office because the rightful landowners are long dead,” Maina said.
“Further, their children and grandchildren wanted us to secretly issue them those titles, an illegal venture the Lands’ office cannot execute,” Maina noted.
“Be wary of swindlers who hang around our office and claim that they can help you undertake land succession without going through the court process, deceiving you that the process is cumbersome. They will con you and disappear without trace,” the Land Registrar warned.
Maina advises residents to stand their ground and insist to get service from our office and desist from seeking for services and advice from con bystanders since many have been conned that way because they want instant titles without following due process.
By Deborah Bochere
