800,000 deeds ready for issue
Erick Odhiambo (seated), a senior cartographer at the National Titling Centre, Nairobi, takes President Kenyatta through digital titling on February 11, 2015. With the President is Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu (left). PHOTO | BILLY MUTAI |
What you need to know:
- Uhuru says Jubilee administration on course to deliver three million title deeds.
- President flags off vehicles ferrying documents for delivery across the country.
The Jubilee administration on Wednesday said its pledge to issue three million new title deeds in the next three years was on course.
President Kenyatta speaking at the National Titling Centre, Survey of Kenya, in Nairobi, said 800,000 deeds are ready.
Mr Kenyatta flagged off several vehicles to deliver the title deeds across the country saying the move will be an answer to perennial land conflicts.
“We came in (power) with a pledge to issue three million new title deeds. However many disputed it given that only 5.6 million deeds had been issued since independence, but we are on course to realize the pledge,” said the President.
He asked Kenyans to cease making land a political issue and instead make it an economic issue that can be used for growth and prosperity in the nation.
The Head of State added that the programme to clean up the land registry would be extended to other areas in order to transform the sector.
“We want to be a government that delivers services. We have heard of people who have struggled for more than 50 years to get title deeds while other families have turned on one another over land. We want this to come to an end,” said the President.
He asked the Ministry of Lands to involve county governments and other stakeholders in the programme.
Mr Kenyatta regretted that several investors in Nairobi have no deeds and that is why they were engaging in illegal construction for fear of being found out.
He welcomed the distribution of the deeds in Meru to locals who have waited for years.
Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu said the titling centre would produce safe, secure and tamper proof title deeds.
“We have managed to produce 814,743 new titles that are ready to be issued to Kenyans,” said Ms Ngilu.
She said 136,388 titles were for Nyanza, 120,000 for Meru and Tharaka Nithi, 15,000 for Rift Valley, 180,000 for Lower Eastern region and 140,000 for Vihiga and Kakamega counties.
Ms Ngilu said the next clean up exercise of land registries in two weeks time will be in Nakuru, Eldoret, Kisumu, Ngong, Bungoma and Kakamega.
