The Ministry of Lands has earmarked about 5,493 parcels of land set to receive new title deeds in an exercise that will be rolled out across the country.
The Ministry of Lands through the CS Farida Karoney says all title deeds across the are set to be issued afresh in an effort to curb fraud concerning land in Kenya.
The issuance of title deeds has now been moved under the Land Registration Act of 2012 that comes with a raft of changes that include relooking into all the title deeds that had previously been issued.
“All transactions or dealings relating to parcels within the unit shall from April 1, 2021, be carried out in the new registers,” said the Ministry in a statement.
For years, land in Kenya has been termed as an emotive issue especially during the time of elections in the country. Many Kenyans do not have the required documents to own parcels of land leaving it open for fraudsters.
According to CS Farida Karoney, all the current title deeds will be declared null and void and new ones issued with Kenyans told to be ready for the exercise from April.
“The current titles will be canceled and new ones issued under the new legal regime while retaining the ownership, size, and the other interests registered against the canceled title deed,” she said.
Kenyans are however calling on the Ministry to put it in the open how the exercise will be conducted to prevent people from using loopholes within the Ministry to award themselves land that does not belong to them.
“It is a good initiative but the Ministry should not think it will be a walk in the park. Conman and conwomen can find ways to con unsuspecting Kenyans,” said Mr. James Kimani, a landowner from Nairobi.
Will the exercise be successful?
READ: The Sanctity Of Title Deeds In Kenya: Outliving The Era Of Evictions